A massive earthquake hit the Middle East today at 4:17 a.m. At a magnitude of 7.8, the quake itself was felt in Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Cyprus. Aftershocks, one even with a magnitude of 7.5, continue to be felt throughout the region.
I'm certain everyone reading this has already seen the news reports of thousands killed with survivors being pulled from the rubble. Across the globe, other nations have begun prepping assistance teams to be sent with SAR dogs and triage units. Israel is one of those nations.
According to Ha'Aretz, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken with Israeli President Herzog. Medical and rescue teams have been dispatched to Turkey. Israel also received a request for aid to Syria:
Israel has reportedly agreed to transfer basic equipment such as blankets and medicine, but is not ready to provide medical treatment to the injured, Israeli officials told Haaretz. However, Israel is willing to provide treatment on Turkish soil or by opening the border crossing in the Golan Heights and admitting Syrians to Israeli hospitals.
The request, according to Israel's KAN-Radio, came via Russian diplomatic channels. But according to a report in Arab News they were unwilling to accept any aid from Israel.
But a Syrian official told reporters Damascus “ridiculed and denied the allegations” that it had requested aid from Israel.
“How can Syria ask for help from an entity that has killed...Syrians for decades?” said the official.
Not a country....an entity. Is the animosity so great that they refuse any help for their dying population?
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| What's left of Aleppo, Syria |
Is not possible to put the needs of the people first?
Apparently not.
I confess, there are days I do think we should all just step back and let the Taliban and the Afghans duke it out. Or the Russians and the Ukrainians. There is no peacekeeping action that will ever get Putin to step back until the Russians either assassinate him or have some kind of coup that involves lots of arrests and dungeons. Which is a horrid attitude to take, but one that dovetails right into the mystery of why Assad won't accept blankets and medicine from Israel. It's not about the blankets or the medicine, I'm afraid; it's about punishing the people of northwestern Syria who are not in lockstep with the regime. There are no adults in those rooms, but you gotta wonder how long it's gonna take before it all collapses...and takes the rest of us with them.
The earthquake is a tragedy of incredible magnitude. But the bigger tragedy is unfolding in Syria, where the government pretends to care...and people are dying by the hundreds every day.
The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week
If you want to contribute to earthquake relief,
vet the organization carefully.
These places have funds specifically designated for earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria:
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