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How the IDF Has Helped Britain


(Israel Defense Forces) Col. Richard Kemp - Col. Richard Kemp was asked in Tel Aviv on June 12 what prompted his extraordinary showing of support for the Jewish state. He responded: "Aside from my experience actually working with the IDF (which alone would have been enough for me to testify as to its character) there are two incidents in particular that stand out." "The first happened when I was Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan. Suddenly, we were confronted with an enemy whose many tactics included suicide bombings. We had never before had to confront suicide bombings, and we had no strategy with which to combat them." "I telephoned an Israeli contact of mine, who arranged for a Brigadier General in the IDF to meet with me in London....For four hours, we sat in a lobby in a London hotel. He spoke; I took notes. And it was from that meeting that the entire counter-suicide-bombing strategy used by the British army was devised." "The second incident happened a couple of years later, after the terrorist attacks in London on July the 7th, 2005. We in the UK were left deeply shaken by the attacks, and I remember that the first ones to call to offer help - for some time, in fact, they were the only ones to call - was the IDF. It was then that we knew who our real friends are."
2011-06-15 00:00:00
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