|
Trending Topics
|
How Israel's Covid Diplomacy Is Helping the World
(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Amb. Daniel Meron - Israel is on the front lines of responding to the coronavirus pandemic across the globe. Israel's unique ability to deal with emergency situations, improvise, and respond quickly and flexibly have all factored into its success. There is a core Jewish value that teaches us that we must help those in need during difficult times. It is therefore natural that Israel has gone to great lengths to support its friends in the international community. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been at the forefront of efforts to donate masks, respirators, and other essential medical equipment to countless countries. When India was ravaged by a severe wave of coronavirus in April 2021, Israel sent entire planeloads filled with respirators and medical aid. When Romania was grappling with a crisis in November, we sent a team of five top medical experts to share Israel's experience in its hospitals. In Ghana, the Israeli embassy distributed masks to local medical teams. Israel has also committed to donate over a million vaccine doses to African nations. Hundreds of kilograms of PPE gear, syringes, medications, and more has been sent to medical staff in 52 countries, including Kenya, Peru, and Bulgaria. The ministry's agency for international cooperation - Mashav - has also brought medical staff and administrators from Tanzania, Rwanda, Guatemala, and many others to Israel for world-class learning. IsraAID, a leading NGO, just finished a six-month project in Eswatini, where an Israeli team set up an operations center for distributing vaccines and training medical staff. The writer is Covid-19 Project Manager at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.