Israel's existence speaks for itself
Six Israeli medical personnel will take off for Pisco, Peru, Monday night, in order to help victims of the earthquake that shook the country last Thursday, leaving over 500 dead and thousands homeless."To go to another country, which has undergone a disaster, in order to help people is a special and challenging mission," said Dr. Iliya Geller, a member of delegation.
The mission was initiated by FIRST (Fast Israel Rescue and Search Team – an umbrella organization for Israeli emergency responder teams) and IsraAID (Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid). It was sponsored by Bnei Brith and the Israeli branch of the American Jewish Committee.
The delegation, comprised of three doctors and three nurses, will meet briefly with representatives of the Peruvian Jewish community in Lima, Peru's capital, before heading to Pisco, one of cities hardest hit by the earthquake.
For Dr. Geller, an orthopedic surgeon who volunteers with rescue units in the Galilee area, this is the first volunteer mission outside of Israel.
"Last weekend, after I finished helping in a rescue operation in northern Israel, I got a phone call asking if I'd like to join an aid mission to Peru. I thought it was a great and special challenge, since we need to help people as much as possible, anywhere in the world," he said. "We'll get a vehicle that will serve as a supply base and will drive around help anyone who needs aid. In such natural disasters, most of the injuries are broken and crushed bones or limbs, but since many of the doctors in the area are not adequate, we will treat anyone who needs medical assistance," he said.
You may remember Iran has suffered a couple of major earthquakes, and that Israel offered to assist... as it did in Sri Lanka in 2003 and 2004; in Peru, India and El Salvador in 2001; Ethiopia in 2000, Turkey and Kosovo in '99; Afghanistan, Kenya and Bolivia in '98 ...
.... The most urgent need, according to Paer Stenbaeck, the Red Cross League secretary general, is for antibiotics, tents and blankets.Eleven emergency headquarters have been set up in the disaster region.
In Geneva, the United Nations Disaster Relief Organisation (Undro) is co-ordinating international aid. The Undro co-ordinator, M'Hamed Essaafi, has been appointed the UN Secretary General's special representative.
Condolences poured into Tehran regardless of political sympathies, but an offer from Israel to share its expertise was the only one to be rejected outright. Kamal Kharrazi, Iran's UN Ambassador, said foreign assistance was welcome except from Israel or South Africa....
.... "As more bodies are pulled out, we fear that the death toll may reach as high as 40,000. An unbelievable human disaster has occurred," said Akbar Alavi, the mayor of Kerman, the provincial capital....Nations dispatched search teams and other assistance or promised to send help. Rescue teams from Switzerland, Britain, Germany, Russia and elsewhere arrived with equipment and dogs trained to search for survivors amid the rubble.
President Bush offered assistance, putting aside political differences. The U.S. Agency for International Development on Saturday dispatched a search-and-rescue team from Fairfax, Va., along with a specially trained squad of 70 California firefighters.
"We greatly welcome any assistance from the United States. We welcome assistance from all countries except Israel," Alavi said.
Comments