Netanyahu, Peres honor foreign firefighters

After the devastating Carmel fire died out, Israel turned to honor the foreign delegations which came to Israel's rescue and helped extinguish the deadly flames. In a ceremony held on Tuesday at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem, President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handed out honorary awards to nearly 250 foreign firefighters.

All the foreign teams, including firefighters, pilots, emergency experts and ambassadors to Israel from Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Britain, Germany, France, Holland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, United Sates, Russia, Egypt and Azerbaijan, were invited to the ceremony.

Hinting at Erdogan

In his speech, Netanyahu mentioned the Turkish rescue teams which assisted the efforts,implying Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statements do not indicate that the relations between the two countries have normalized.

The PM went on to say that for many years now Israel has aided other countries dealing with destruction and disasters, including the medical teams sent to help after the Haiti and the Turkish earthquake.

Before Netanyahu's speech, President Peres took the stage, saying that on behalf of the State of Israel, the children, women and parents, he would like to thank all those who was brave enough to come and help out. He added that the wind was blowing hard and in different directions, but despite the crazy height it reached the rescue teams never hesitated to fight it. 

The crowd applauded him as he said, "Israel's hope is that if we believe we can fight mother nature, we can overcome hostility, unite and establish peace among all nations."

Avoid another Awkward Situation

The Greek representative, Captain Nicholas Millans said he arrived on location in the Carmel Mountains, his first time ever in Israel, and although it was no vacation he and his delegation were welcomed with great hospitality. He added that they met warm and kind people who thanked them for their efforts. Millans mentioned that the cooperation between all emergency personal was fantastic.

Like many others, Millans discussed the sad situation of the Israeli extinguishing forces. He said that he was surprised to learn that Israel, who is known for having an advanced Air Force, did not have a single extinguishing plane or helicopter. In his opinion, he added, the environment calls for such a budget to exist so that Israel does not find itself in such an awkward situation again.

Netanyahu later announced that he had spoken to Greek, Russian, Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders regarding his plan to set up a regional fire extinguishing force which will also aid in cases of natural disasters.

Netanyahu said that the aid given to Israel following the Carmel fire disaster "should pose as a model for additional collaborations in the region."

Roni Sofer contributed to the report

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