Folks, Sri Lanka has rejected Israel rescuers due to help after Sunday’s tsunami disaster. Neither side has officially explained the change of plan, although some reports say the objection came from Sri Lanka’s military.
Israel’s army had planned to send staff to set up field hospitals, including internal medicine and paediatric clinics, an Israeli army spokesman said.
A rescue-and-recovery team from the Jewish ultra-Orthodox organisation Zaka left for the region on Monday with equipment used for identifying bodies, as well as body bags.
One has to wonder if, in spite of Sri Lanka’s restored diplomatic ties with Israel in 2000, objections from the island’s Muslim minority must carry more weight than one might think.