Israel offers to send humanitarian aid to Syria

Foreign Minister says Syrian strife shows world can’t protect Israel

Israel has offered to send humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria through the International Red Cross in light of a brutal government crackdown of protests in the country, the Foreign Ministry announced Sunday.

Red Cross representatives in Israel said they would assess the needs and will then provide Israel with a detailed response, the ministry announced in a written statement.

“The state of the Jewish people cannot just sit around and do nothing at a time when tragedies occur in a neighboring country and people are losing their entire existence,” Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said. “Even if, because of the nature of things, Israel cannot directly intervene in affairs of a state with which it does not have diplomatic relations, it’s our moral obligation to at least extend humanitarian aid and to call upon the world to stop the massacres.”

Until recently, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has kept relatively quiet on Syria and President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown on civil protests, as he apparently fears that by openly opposing the dictator he might weaken those who fight against him. Lieberman, however, has been more vocal in condemning Assad, as he feels it would hurt Israel’s reputation in the world if it kept silent on the issue.

Israel’s foreign minister also said the international community’s failure to stop the violence in Syria shows it cannot keep Israel safe.

Avigdor Lieberman told Israel Radio the inability of international leaders and aid workers to alleviate “systematic murder of innocent civilians” in Syria “challenges all the promises of the international community that they are responsible for our security.”

Lieberman’s comments come as the United States tries to convince Israel to rely on global economic sanctions and diplomacy to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions before resorting to a military strike.

Israel is worried Iran is developing nuclear weapons that could be used against it. Iran claims it only seeks nuclear reactors for energy and medical research.