AN EMERGENCY STATE
A FEW ( HUNDRED ) GOOD MEN
SYRIA
WHILE THE WORLD CONTINUES TO WATCH AS A SAVAGE WAR DESTROYS SYRIA , ISRAEL SENDS IN ITS MOST VALUABLE RESOURCES AS AID – ITS PEOPLE .
TRACY ESSERS
AN EMERGENCY STATE
It ’ s been called the largest refugee exodus of recent history . What began as pro-democracy demonstrations evolved into a battle in which , according to BBC reports , more than 250 000 Syrian people have lost their lives and 11 million people have lost their homes .
War crimes , chemical weapons and jihadists all form part of a complex and relentless civil war that has been raging for the past six years . Peace seems like a cruel mirage , taunting the millions of displaced refugees looking for someone , somewhere , to reach out . And , true to form , Israel is first to their aid .
BROTHERS IN BATTLE
Despite a historic conflict between the two states , the IDF has reportedly been allowing critically wounded Syrian civilians into Israel since 2013 . “ Our policy is to help in humanitarian cases , and to that end we are operating a field hospital along the Syrian border ,” former Defence
Minister Moshe Ya ’ alon told the Knesset ’ s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee . More recently , Haaretz newspaper revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given instruction to the Israeli Foreign Ministry to increase the aid provided to Syrian civilians .
But , this is certainly not the first – or only – time that Israel has lent Syria a hand . Over the past few years , Israeli hospital staff have been guided by a formidable moral compass which points them in one direction – to help those in need .
“ We are proud to have helped over 2 500 Syrians ,” said Ziv Medical Centre director Dr Salman Zarka . According to reports from sources like ISRAEL21c , other medical facilities in northern Israel , including Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa , Medical Center of the Galilee in Nahariya , and Poriya Hospital near Tiberias , have also offered help to wounded Syrians .
But , relying on a few to complete the work of many is not the Israeli way . For people who know what it ’ s like to be persecuted for their nationality , identity or ethnicity , getting involved in the Syrian crisis is a natural calling for many .
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