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Israel Reaches Out to Its Syrian Neighbors
(Politico) Neri Zilber - On any given night, the IDF is active on multiple points on the Syrian frontier, interacting with locals on the other side. At the operations hub of the Good Neighbor administration on the Golan Heights are metal shipping containers brimming with spaghetti, baby formula and diapers, warm clothing and blankets, school supplies and fuel jerrycans. Children in need of specialists are bused to Israeli hospitals, sometimes daily. "For a five year old who has only known war, that day in Israel might be the best of their lives," said Lt. Col. E, commander of the Good Neighbor administration. "They see that the Jews treat them with respect. They're my ambassadors." "If we weren't doing this, someone else would be," E said, alluding to Hizbullah. "There's no such thing as a vacuum in this region." The writer is an adjunct fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.