(Jerusalem Post) Ben Lynfield - The IDF has facilitated the opening of a maternity hospital on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights - part of a significant expansion of Operation Good Neighbor, which provides Israeli assistance to war-ravaged Syrian villages near the Israeli border. Lt.-Col. E., commander of the operation, explained, "You can't stand from the side and see your neighbor dying and living in hard conditions and know that you can help them and not do so." The hospital opened two weeks ago in Bariqa in the Quneitra region. It is staffed entirely by Syrian doctors, while the incubators, beds, and ultrasound equipment come from Israel. The operation is expanding and reaching villages as far as 20 km. from the border in an area with 200,000 people. "We are...literally every day saving people's lives," Lt.-Col. E. said. In preparation for winter, the IDF has provided 30 tons of warm clothing and a mass supply of diesel fuel so villagers can heat their houses. IDF supplies of flour have brought the price of bread down by at least half in the assisted villages. Lt.-Col. E. said, "The flour is free, the diesel is free, the vehicle [for transportation] is free. They just have to pay for the worker in the bakery."
2017-12-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive