Israel offers aid to Turkey after earthquake

[oberliner]

Israel offered aid to its former strategic ally Turkey and their presidents spoke by telephone on Sunday after a powerful earthquake struck southeast Turkey.

"At this difficult time Israel is willing to provide any aid required anywhere in Turkey and at any time," President Shimon Peres told his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gül, according to a statement issued by Peres's office.

Relations between Israel and Turkey have been frayed since Israeli commandos killed nine Turks during a raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip in 2010.

Tension rose last month when Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador after Israel refused to apologise for the killings, saying its marines acted in self-defence in confrontations with pro-Palestinian activists on one of the vessels.

Peres's conversation with Gül was believed to be the first between the two leaders since the envoy was expelled.

Gül told Peres that Turkey was still assessing the damage from the earthquake and that he hoped Turkish rescue teams could handle the disaster, the Israeli statement said.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel was willing to provide "anything from food, medicine, medical staff and equipment to search-and-rescue teams". He said Israel was awaiting Ankara's reply.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-260763-israel-offers-aid-to-turkey-in-wake-of-massive-earthquake.html

[Warpy]

1. It's nice they made the offer

They have a lot of fences to mend and Turkey is a good place to start.

[vminfla]

4. Odd home improvement choice

I believe that the israeli fences are in good working order. I would not think that their time would be well served in Turkey, assuming the Turkish government will accept their aid, to fix fences.

[jimmie]

2. Those tricky Israelis.....

always willing to help the people who hate them.

I'm sure saudi arabia , jordan and egypt are falling all over themselves trying to help.


I can see thru "those" people.


:sarcasm:

[vminfla]

3. Turkey Rejects Israeli's humanitarian assistance

When an earthquake devastated Bam, Turkey rejected Israels' humanitarian aid. Let's see if Turkey will accept the noble offer this time.

[vminfla]

5. Not suprisingly, Turkey does reject aid

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/10/24/3089919/turkey-rejects-earthquake-aid-offers-including-israels

– Turkey has rejected all international aid, including an Israeli offer, in the wake of a strong earthquake that collapsed buildings and left hundreds dead.

Sunday's temblor, which measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and was centered in southeastern Turkey, was felt in central Tel Aviv, Haaretz reported. At least 239 people are confirmed dead, with many others reportedly trapped in collapsed buildings.

"The State of Israel shares in your sorrow following the earthquake that has claimed victims from among your people," Israeli President Shimon Peres said Sunday in a call to Turkish President Abdullah Gul. "I speak as a man, as a Jew and as an Israeli who remembers, and is well aware of, the depth of the historic relations between our two peoples, and thus I send the condolences of the entire nation to the families of those who lost their lives. At this difficult time, the State of Israel is ready to render any assistance that may be required anywhere in Turkey, at any time."

Gul thanked Peres for the telephone call, the expression of condolences and the offer of assistance, according to the President's Office, and said that he hoped Turkish search and rescue could handle the emergency alone. Diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey are now nearly nonexistent.

[shira]

6. They rejected help from many countries. But not Iran. n/t

[vminfla]

8. Looks like Turkey is accepting aid from Israel after all

Two days after devastating earthquake, Ankara submits requests with Jerusalem for transfer of mobile homes to disaster-stricken area. Meanwhile, quake servivors direct anger at Erdogan, say 'prime minister almost goes to war with Israel for sake of Palestinians, but doesn't move a muscle for us'

The Turkish Foreign Ministry submitted an official request with Jerusalem for the transfer of mobile housing units. The request was transferred from the Turkish Foreign Ministry to the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, which immediately notified the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman instructed the Ministry's Director-General Rafael Barak to transfer the necessary equipment as soon as possible.
As of now, Turkey has not requested aid in the form of manpower.


Immediately after the earthquake struck on Sunday Lieberman instructed his office to prepare to send aid to Turkey. President Shimon Peres also called his Turkish counterpart Abduallah Gul in order to offer Israel's assistance. However, Ankara rejected the bid.


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4139179,00.html

[azurnoir]

7. and Turkey has now accepted aid from Israel

On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected an aid offer by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone conversation between the two leaders, representing the second such rejection since a 7.2 magnitude quake struck Turkey.

Following the request, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered Foreign Ministry director general Rafael Barak to contact the relevant officials in order to transport the needed equipment as soon as possible.

Officials indicated that the planned aid shipment was brought about following an initiative by President Shimon Peres, who contacted his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul immediately following the quake and offered relief.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkey-requests-aid-from-israel-for-first-time-since-struck-by-devastating-earthquake-1.391963

[shaayecanaan]

9. So there you go...

its probably also worth remembering that the US turned down offers of international aid from many countries, including Venezuela, while accepting aid from the Europeans and Australia, following Hurricane Katrina.

[oberliner]

11. That's a lie

It got spread around (and was picked up by Wikipedia - where it remains) but it is not true.

The US received and accepted aid from Venezuela in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Citation:

September 08, 2005

US Willing to Accept Fuel Aid from Venezuela for Hurricane Victims

Ambassador William Brownfield told VOA the United States welcomes President Chavez' offer of up to $5 million in fuel assistance to U.S. hurricane victims and the poor through Venezuela's state-owned oil company.

Ambassador Brownfield describes the offering. "What the government of Venezuela has offered the United States in response to the disaster, the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina, is a generous offer,” said the U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela. “When we are talking about one to five million dollars, that is real money. If additional petroleum or gasoline is made available to the U.S., that is real, concrete, serious assistance. I want to recognize that clearly and say, 'thank you' right here and right now."

Sunday, in his weekly appearance on Venezuela's state-run television, President Chavez announced that fuel aid would be increased from one to five million dollars. But he blasted U.S. hurricane preparations as grossly inadequate, saying that President Bush has shown he can plan for war, but not for the well being of the people of the United States during a natural disaster.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2005-09-08-voa21.html

[vminfla]

10. Turkish FM: Politics and Humanitarian Aid Two Different Things

The fact that Turkey agreed to accept aid from Israel to assist in rescue efforts of the thousands who were injured or killed has no political meaning, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Thursday. Speaking at a news conference in Amman with Jordanian leader King Abdullah II and his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh, Davutoğlu said that “political conditions between the two countries remain as they were", and that Turkey's views on the Middle East remained “principled.”

On Monday, after a lengthy period in which they did not communicate, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to offer Israel's assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit eastern Turkey. Erdogan initially turned down the offer, but on Tuesday, Ankara changed its mind. An Israeli plane with prefabricated mobile homes and other aid for quake victims arrived in Turkey Thursday. At least three more planes will arrive in the next few days, Israeli officials said.

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak both stressed that Israel was appreciative of Turkey's assistance in battling the Carmel forest last year, and that Jerusalem saw aiding in regional crises as part of its responsibility to the international community. Defense Ministry spokesperson Josh Hantman said that Israel did not see the aid as “a diplomatic matter, but a humanitarian one aimed at keeping men, women and children safe and warm.”

Speaking about the Israel-PA negotiating process, Judeh said that both Jordan and Turkey agreed on the need for the establishment of an Arab state in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – the “two state solution” - as the basis of Middle East peace. “We do not want peace negotiations to start from scratch. There are agreements already signed and we want any future negotiations to be based on them,” he said.\

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/149145

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At least Turkey was big enough to accept the aid.