Whenever the topic of Israeli foreign aid comes up, it’s too often an argument about how much Israel receives and rarely is it about how much they give. So let’s recap.
When the destructive Typhoon Haiyan ripped its way through the Philippines in 2013—leaving over 4,000 people dead and countless others homeless and filled with despair—it was Israel who arrived on the scene. Almost immediately, 150 Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers began setting up field hospitals with over 100 tons of food and medical aid.
Then, in 2014, when countries in West Africa were struck by the Ebola virus outbreak, it was Israel that not only constructed field hospitals in the affected areas, but also contributed an additional $8.75 million to the cause. The UN declared Israel the top contributor per capita in the fight against Ebola.
And let’s not forget earlier this year when Nepal was struck by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake. It was Israel who sent a delegation of 260 personnel (more than the UK, the US, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy, and France combined) to set up field hospitals and administer aid to the thousands of Nepalese victims affected by the disaster.
And now the world is being forced to witness yet another tragedy—the half-decade long civil war in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, over 320,000 Syrian civilians have been killed and over 1.5 million have been wounded with no sign of President Assad’s brutality ending any time soon. With this tragic and gruesome civil war comes millions of innocent civilians who are displaced from their homes, fleeing Syria, and looking frantically for any sanctuary and support they can find.
While the Arab world continues to point fingers at the West for not taking in enough Syrian refugees, perhaps it’s best to look a little closer to home. While countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, and Iraq have taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees, the wealthy Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have taken in zero refugees, but profit from their suffering by selling arms to the rebel jihadist forces and fanning the flames of war. Iran, too, has kept its borders closed, while backing the Assad regime instead.
While the aforementioned nations continue to pad their pocketbooks with the pain of millions, it is Israel taking action. While the relationship between Israel and Syria hasn’t been a happy one, with the two nations engaging in three major wars, Israel has once again risen to the occasion to help the helpless.
Israeli NGOs have provided food, medicine, and clothing to Syrian refugees residing in Jordan since 2013. The IDF have erected a field hospital on the Israel-Syria border and has begun treating the Syrian refugees lucky enough to escape their decimated homeland.
As if this was not enough, Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot stated the IDF would act in the vicinity of its border to defend Syrian refugees who were trying to escape the barbarity of Islamic State fighters and Syrian military forces.
This shows the value the state of Israel places on human life. Given their history of mutual disdain, Israel has no reason to show compassion towards Syria. However, the sentiment of “never again” and empathy towards the innocent rings true in the heart of Israel.
