Israelis Work under the Radar to Help Syrians “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:24) The protracted civil war in Syria has displaced millions of people and left Syrians struggling to feed themselves. Despite the absence of diplomatic relations between Israel and Syria, members of a secretive Israeli nonprofit organization are risking everything to deliver aid to Syrian refuges under a project called iL4Syrians. The organization’s motto, “Nobody asks permission to kill. We do not ask permission to save lives,” shows the group’s resolve to defy borders closed to Israelis who want to help to alleviate suffering. With the help of secular Syrian groups, the organization has already provided several hundred tons of food in addition to 120 tons of basic home items, 20 tons of medication, and 70 tons of sanitation items to Syrian refugees. Some have been beaten up by the Muslim Brotherhood for distributing the aid. “We don’t care about political agendas. We don’t work for anybody, just for our conscience,” the NGO’s founder, identified only as Yael, told the Jerusalem Post recently. The group, which has been operating for over ten years, focuses on aiding communities affected by natural disasters and other man-made conflicts and specializes in helping countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel. The organization comprises 1,200 members, all of whom are Israelis who “love their homeland and have all completed military service.” Israeli doctors and other medical personnel are also working secretly in Jordanian refugee camps to treat those in need, wearing a change of clothes to camouflage their identities, being smuggled in and out and telling no one of where they have been. Even though Jordan has diplomatic relations with Israel, Israeli doctors are not welcomed and their presence is seen as a violation of Jordanian sovereignty.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 14:38:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015