Netanyahu thanks Erdogan for aid

[500]

Netanyahu thanks Erdogan for aid

At emergency Cabinet meeting, prime minister says response to Israel's call for help 'unprecedented'

Attila Somfalvi Published: 12.03.10, 11:32 / Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with other world leaders for sending planes and firefighting equipment to Israel in order to assist the battle against the blaze consuming its northern region.

Netanyahu spoke at a special Cabinet meeting called in the wake of flailing efforts to extinguish the flames. Netanyahu also thanked other world leaders, including Bulgaria's prime minister and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who sent "a very large Russian plane, perhaps the largest of its kind in the world"

"The plane is on its way here, and will arrive in the afternoon," Netanyahu said, also thanking Egypt, Azerbaijan, Spain, Croatia, France, and Jordan for their offers. "I think this constitutes an unprecedented response to our appeal for international aid," he added.

"We are dealing with a disaster of international proportions," Netanyahu said, adding that the government would focus on putting out the flames before attempting to glean any worthwhile conclusions. "During the coming week the Cabinet will debate a plan for purchasing planes," he added.

"We know that 15,000 Israelis were evacuated from their homes and we will take care of them all," he said.

"We will also take care of renovations, rehabilitation, and compensation as well as anything else required to return them to normalcy. We will rehabilitate the Carmel with a national plan."

Interior Minister Eli Yishai said before the meeting that he would demand an official investigation into "the failures in Israel's preparation for fires". Yishai, who has under his authority Israel's firefighting forces, said he would demand a probe of why the current and former governments did not properly equip Israel for such disasters.

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said Friday morning that a criminal investigation will follow the giant blaze in the north. "We will be checking whether certain officials were negligent, whether arson was involved. But we will wait a few days," he said.

Netanyahu thanks Erdogan for aid - Israel News, Ynetnews

 

[Developereo]

Political differences should never hamper humanitarian help.

 

[jha]

Haven't heard anything from India..We should help them..

 

[Lankan Ranger]

23 international aircraft carrying firefighters land in Israel

The first of 23 international aircraft carrying firefighters, supplies and fire retardant chemicals landed at the Ramat David Israel Air Force base in northern Israel today after the country's fire chief admitted publicly to have lost control over the blazing fire.

The Greek plane, the first of five which are expected from the country, brought much needed fire retardant supplies and additional firefighting forces who will join Israeli fire crews battling the uncontrolled Carmel forest fire.

According to the Army Radio, in addition to the four Greek aircrafts, four others are expected to arrive from France, three from Britain, two from Spain, two from Russia, two from Turkey, two from Cyprus, two from Bulgaria and one from Croatia and Azerbaijan each to prevent the fire from spreading further.

Meanwhile, mass evacuations continued across northern Israel today morning as dry easterly winds fanned a massive bushfire towards the city of Haifa after having engulfed almost 20,000 dunams of pine forest. Over 15,000 residents, including 600 prison inmates, were evacuated as the blaze raged out of control forcing the fire chiefs to publicly admit to the same.

The situation is said to have arisen from an illegal landfill site. Firefighters said the blaze had reached major traffic artery linking the north with Tel Aviv, but that they had succeeded in stopping the blaze from spreading further. Earlier, 40 people were killed when a bus carrying prison service trainees to assist in the evacuation was engulfed by fire after a falling tree blocked its path.

Elsewhere, at least two more fire crew were reported missing, while the Haifa district police chief was among the injured. Across the region, traffic crawled to a standstill, with black smoke and flames visible for miles around.

The blaze broke out shortly before lunchtime and spread rapidly across the tinder-dry Carmel countryside, left parched after the hottest November in Israel in 60 years. One of the first residential areas to be evacuated was Kibbutz Beit Oren, where all 400 residents reached safety before the entire collective farm was razed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that evacuations would continue and that authorities would take no risks where civilian lives were in danger.

"Evacuations will be conducted as needed, with sufficient advance warning. We do not want any more injuries," Netanyahu, who called an emergency cabinet meeting today said. Police also evacuated prisoners from Prison 6 and Carmel Prison, as well as students in Haifa University dormitories, who were transferred to a nearby high school. Some 200 patients from the Tirat Hacarmel psychiatric hospital were also evacuated.

23 int'l aircraft carrying firefighters land in Israel - Hindustan Times

 

[Kambojaric]

Good to see political differences are forgotten in such times.

 

[BATMAN]

23 international aircraft carrying firefighters land in Israel

The first of 23 international aircraft carrying firefighters, supplies and fire retardant chemicals landed at the Ramat David Israel Air Force base in northern Israel today after the country's fire chief admitted publicly to have lost control over the blazing fire.

The Greek plane, the first of five which are expected from the country, brought much needed fire retardant supplies and additional firefighting forces who will join Israeli fire crews battling the uncontrolled Carmel forest fire.

According to the Army Radio, in addition to the four Greek aircrafts, four others are expected to arrive from France, three from Britain, two from Spain, two from Russia, two from Turkey, two from Cyprus, two from Bulgaria and one from Croatia and Azerbaijan each to prevent the fire from spreading further.

Meanwhile, mass evacuations continued across northern Israel today morning as dry easterly winds fanned a massive bushfire towards the city of Haifa after having engulfed almost 20,000 dunams of pine forest. Over 15,000 residents, including 600 prison inmates, were evacuated as the blaze raged out of control forcing the fire chiefs to publicly admit to the same.

The situation is said to have arisen from an illegal landfill site. Firefighters said the blaze had reached major traffic artery linking the north with Tel Aviv, but that they had succeeded in stopping the blaze from spreading further. Earlier, 40 people were killed when a bus carrying prison service trainees to assist in the evacuation was engulfed by fire after a falling tree blocked its path.

Elsewhere, at least two more fire crew were reported missing, while the Haifa district police chief was among the injured. Across the region, traffic crawled to a standstill, with black smoke and flames visible for miles around.

The blaze broke out shortly before lunchtime and spread rapidly across the tinder-dry Carmel countryside, left parched after the hottest November in Israel in 60 years. One of the first residential areas to be evacuated was Kibbutz Beit Oren, where all 400 residents reached safety before the entire collective farm was razed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that evacuations would continue and that authorities would take no risks where civilian lives were in danger.

"Evacuations will be conducted as needed, with sufficient advance warning. We do not want any more injuries," Netanyahu, who called an emergency cabinet meeting today said. Police also evacuated prisoners from Prison 6 and Carmel Prison, as well as students in Haifa University dormitories, who were transferred to a nearby high school. Some 200 patients from the Tirat Hacarmel psychiatric hospital were also evacuated.

23 int'l aircraft carrying firefighters land in Israel - Hindustan Times

Wow luck Israel!!!!

Looks like Pakistan missed the opportunity.

 

[500]

Turkish help:

 

[Jigs]

I hope they help.

 

[somebozo]

A clever slap in the face of Netanyahu in prospect of flotilla incident when humanitarian aid was denied to suffering innocent Palestinians as well innocent Turkish civilians killed.

 

[Jigs]

“I must state that the help of the Turkish people and you is very big and meaningful. Right now everyone sees Turkish planes flying to put out the fire, and so do I. I wanted to personally call you to express the gratitude of both my government and my people,”

Netanyahu told Erdoğan, according to the Turkish Prime Ministry Press Center

 

[500]

A clever slap in the face of Netanyahu in prospect of flotilla incident when humanitarian aid was denied to suffering innocent Palestinians as well innocent Turkish civilians killed.

All the aid on ship was passed to Gaza. And Israel is passing humanitarian aid to Gaza every day: over 100 truckloads daily, electricity, water, gas, medicines...

 

[BATMAN]

A clever slap in the face of Netanyahu in prospect of flotilla incident when humanitarian aid was denied to suffering innocent Palestinians as well innocent Turkish civilians killed.

You can say instead; Allah or nature turned the table but no insulting words in such situation..

It's simply a timely support, which shows the good nature of Turkish people.

It is also matter of capacity.... and Allah has given them this capacity to carry out humanitarian activities beyond its borders and they did not hesitate in responding.

 

[Hasbara Buster]

Shame on Erdogan.

 

[Hasbara Buster]

All the aid on ship was passed to Gaza. And Israel is passing humanitarian aid to Gaza every day: over 100 truckloads daily, electricity, water, gas, medicines...

Israel's plans to put Palestinians on a diet

Zenpolitics: Israel's plans to put Palestinians on a diet

 

[Hasbara Buster]

All the aid on ship was passed to Gaza. And Israel is passing humanitarian aid to Gaza every day: over 100 truckloads daily, electricity, water, gas, medicines...

According to the Israeli human rights group Gisha.org, items barred from Gaza by the blockade include:

“sage, cardamom, cumin, coriander, ginger, jam, halva, vinegar, nutmeg, chocolate, fruit preserves, seeds and nuts, biscuits and sweets, potato chips, gas for soft drinks, dried fruit, fresh meat, plaster, tar, wood for construction, cement, iron, glucose, industrial salt, plastic/glass/metal containers, industrial margarine, tarpaulin, sheets for huts, fabric (for clothing), flavor and smell enhancers, fishing rods, various fishing nets, buoys, ropes for fishing, nylon nets for greenhouses, hatcheries and spare parts for hatcheries, spare parts for tractors, dairies for cowsheds, irrigation pipe systems, ropes to tie greenhouses planters for saplings, heaters for chicken farms, musical instruments, size A4 paper, writing implements, notebooks, newspapers, toys, razors, sewing machines and spare parts, heaters, horses, donkeys, goats, cattle, and chicks”

Why Did Israel Attack the Gaza Flotilla? SpeakEasy