Israeli aid arrives in Haiti, field hospital set up

[IndianaGreen]

ABC News was just reporting tonight about how quickly and efficiently, the Israelis were able to set up field hospitals and started to treat Haitians, all the while the US relief effort is still coming up short.

Kudos to Israel! (I posted this here for the benefit of those that seldom venture upstairs)

Israeli aid arrives in Haiti, field hospital set up

The Israeli delegation landed in the capital of Port-Au-Prince on Friday evening (15 January) and established its operation center in a soccer field near the airport.

Two teams, comprised of search and rescue personnel and canine operators from the IDF canine unit were sent out on rescue missions. The first team was sent to the Haiti UN headquarters in order to assist in rescuing survivors. The rescue teams are working in cooperation with local authorities in order to reach disaster struck areas where survivors can be located and assisted.

The IDF Medical and Rescue Team set up a field hospital in Port-Au-Prince and is beginning to treat patients there. The field hospital is prepared to receive dozens of ambulances evacuating injured children from the different disaster struck areas. Between Friday night and Saturday, dozens of truckloads of medical and logistical equipment were unloaded and the field hospital set up.

On Saturday (16 Jan) the Israeli team rescued a top income tax official from the government office building which collapsed in the earthquake. The official, who had been trapped underneath the rubble for four days, is currently being treated at the Israeli field hospital. (see AP video)

The field hospital includes 40 doctors, 25 nurses, paramedics, a pharmacy, a children's ward, a radiology department, an intensive care unit, an emergency room, two operating rooms, a surgical department, an internal department and a maternity ward. The hospital can treat approximately 500 patients each day, and in addition will perform preliminary surgeries.

In the field hospital set up in Port-au-Prince, members of the IDF medical staff are in a race against time to save lives. The Medical Corps treated about 100 injured people. 30% of the injured in the hospital are in serious condition, 50% are moderately injured and the rest are lightly injured. More than half of the injured are under the age of 16. The majority of injuries are limb injuries and bone fractures. 10 life saving surgeries were performed.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Israeli_aid_arrives_Haiti_17-Jan-2010.htm

[Skittles]

1. thank you Israel

:thumbsup:

[DesertFlower]

2. yes. thank you. nt

[aquart]

3. And two babies born, one named Israel.

[HeresyLives]

4. Here's a film clip I picked up from another post.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2010/01/18/dnt.cohen.haiti.patients.dying.cnn

[IndianaGreen]

5. That's an amazing report, and the contrast between US and Israel is like night and day

Our health care providers don't have what they need to treat their patients.

Thank you!

And thank you, Israel!

[azurnoir]

16. Kudo's to Israel in their effort to do something

tell me Indy do you think this reflects poorly on Obama?

[shira]

17. it should reflect badly on Obama if the USA doesn't learn from Israel how to better function when...

...the next disaster happens.

[azurnoir]

18. So BTW how is Israel doing WRT general food distribution

water distribution,victim rescue, general security ect? BTW general means in Haiti overall not just Israel's field hospital

[shira]

19. huh? here's what's happening WRT the IDF in Haiti...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX-UmrFAWNw&feature=player_embedded

and then there's this...
http://israelsoldiers.org/comm.html

Our country needs to be able to do all this before the next Katrina, or worse.

[azurnoir]

20. Ah so the lesson Obama should be learning from Israel is

only do one or 2 things and do them really well rather than an overall effort? Is that your point?

[shira]

21. are you serious? It's alarming that the USA and other western nations are so far behind medically

...for such situations.

I'm questioning why in the hell the US, UK, etc.. are so incompetent in comparison to Israel. If they were up to speed, hundreds of more lives would have been saved. Aren't you pissed at that?

You're finding problems with Israel's overall effort in Haiti? Are you for real?

[azurnoir]

22. No the problem is those who would use this to trash Obama

the relief effort in Haiti is not a competition IMO it is an international effort to save lives your own CNN link outlines the entire effort and what the US is doing

[shira]

23. who's trashing Obama and who says it's a competition?

The fact is that if the USA and other western countries weren't lagging behind Israel (for reasons unknown) more lives could be saved. Isn't that what's most important? This should never happen again, and if it does then shame on everyone for not shaping up and being better prepared.

[azurnoir]

24. Right .... the US has been pulling victims out of the rubble

distributing food and water handling security ect and the best you can say is Israel is better at field medicine? Puleez perhaps if the US had centered it's efforts solely on the medical aspect we would be doing better in that area had you considered that maybe the US has directed its efforts elsewhere due to the fact that others Israel and Norway to name two were concentrating their efforts on medicine
None of this takes away from the incredible job Israel is doing but the way it IS being presented here makes an issue that really has no place in this that is if the interest is actually the well being of the Haitians

[shira]

26. wrong...the US sent medical teams of very capable doctors and nurses who are nowhere as prepared...

...or efficient as their Israeli counterparts in the IDF who came into Haiti with FAR superior support from the Israeli government. You brought up Norway (whether or not they're also focused on medical) but as we're reading, no other country came in as prepared as Israel, which is really no surprise given Israel's history of dealing with disasters.

Did you WATCH that CNN video? The American doctors are embarassed, and rightfully so....as the US government was nowhere near as prepared and efficient. THAT shouldn't be happening and many hundreds of lives are in the balance because of it. If the USA wanted to focus more of its efforts on NON-medical issues (not to take away from what they've done WRT food, water, etc..) that's fine, but the US is showing once again FAR MORE has to be done. Israel is roughly the size of New Jersey and on the other side of the world...there's no way the USA should send twice to ten times as many very capable doctors and nurses into Haiti who cannot work to save lives as efficiently as their Israeli counterparts. The Americans simply do not have the support, same facilities, etc...that the Israelis do. WHY the fuck not?

If something happens again within 1-2 years and another CNN video comes out like this, what will your reaction be? "Oh well, the US is doing other great things...we don't have to have our shit together medically"? The US is focusing their efforts on the medical side, unlike your claim.

I think the problem seems to be that if any OTHER country than Israel were miles ahead in efficiency and preparedness, you'd be more likely to agree with me. As I see things, if Bangladesh, India, Brazil, or the UK were miles ahead of America or Israel in preparedness and efficiency for disasters like these, in any way, shape, or form, I'd be demanding the same thing....to CATCH the fuck up and not waste anymore time or EVER be lagging behind again. Lives are in the balance. There's simply no excuse for it.

[Violet_Crumble]

30. The way you turn it into some sort of competition is absolutely sickening...

The Haitians wouldn't give a shit what nationality it is that's helping them, and it's disgusting that you treat the earthquake and its victims as tools for you to embark on more rants about how great Israel is compared to everything else in the world. You really are a revolting individual...

[shira]

33. it's not sick competition...as an American directly impacted by disaster and catastrophe

....I demand that my country shapes up and gets with the program so that whenever anything like this happens again, more lives can be saved.

I can't imagine anyone else in any other free country demanding less accountability and competence from their own government.

It's not competition I demand, it's COLLABORATION.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[shira]

46. show me where I wrote that this is about 'competition'

And why wouldn't you demand your own country or others to be at least as efficient and productive as Israel the next time disaster strikes? If there's a better and more efficient way to save significantly more lives, shouldn't everyone else be doing it?

If it were another country leading the way, you'd demand that other countries catch up so that more lives can be saved the next time, wouldn't you?

[Violet_Crumble]

48. Go back and get someone to read out yr posts to you...

It's all through them.

No, I'll leave you to yr sickening competition where Israel is loudly proclaimed the winner. As I've already told you, I find it disgusting and revolting in the way that the victims are a peripheral thing to you. Take yr obsession with trumpeting about how much greater Israel is than any other country and shove it up yr arse. I hope I've been clear enough and you won't be returning with more mindless 'questions' which prove you comprehend nothing of what others say to you..

[shira]

49. looks like the problem is your reading comprehension

In no posts did I even infer that this is some stupid competition, Israel is the winner, and victims are only peripheral.

[Violet_Crumble]

50. No, my reading comprehension's just fine. Yrs is at the standard of a dishonest troll...

Keep on denying the bleeding obvious all you like. It just makes you look even more ridiculous than you already are.

[shira]

54. nope, you see what you wish to see when you read....

I was just reading this piece...
http://yaacovlozowick.blogspot.com/2010/01/field-hospital-in-haiti.html

...and he mentioned an article by someone you claim as your friend...
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/01/19/the-zionization-of-disaster-relief/

I now perfectly understand your motivations in this thread. No need for you to reply with more faux 'disgust' or invective.

Congrats - you managed to make my 'ignore' list.

[Violet_Crumble]

60. I'm not interested in what anyone else says. I'm talking about yr revolting posts in this thread...

And they were revolting. There's nothing fake about the disgust I feel about attitudes such as yrs.

Seeing as how yr the one who originally replied to me even though you knew I had you on ignore, I can't say that the sudden claim yr putting me on ignore makes a lot of sense, but I for one welcome the move amd hope you'll stick to yr guns. There's a very small number of posters in this forum who I consider to be so disruptive and extreme in their views that I rarely if ever waste time on them unless they reply to something I've said, so I think this new development will work well for me....

[Violet_Crumble]

51. delete n/t

[shaayecanaan]

58. I agree, its absolutely disgusting...

If countries actually wanted to help, they should contribute to the main UN relief effort in Haiti, rather than sending their own individual flagship operations that operate in a willy-nilly fashion and without co-ordinating with one another.

Of course it is very dramatic to pull people out of the rubble and no doubt the people are thrilled to be rescued. But the UN quite rightly has been concentrating on getting food and water to internally displaced persons. Their basis for doing so is quite simple - the rescue operations might, at best, rescue a few dozen people (and probably far less). The relief operations on the other hand can hopefully save tens or hundreds of thousands from starvation or water-borne diseases.

Haiti's own ambassador recently issued a statement asking the US to refrain from helicopter drops of food, which are quickly snatched up by gangs or the strongest individuals, and which do nothing for the starving who are too weak to grab any of the food.

The US did exactly the same thing in Afghanistan. It looks dramatic and the journalists get some good pictures, but it does nothing to help those truly in need. It really is just a cynical and crass public relations exercise.

I posted an article a few minutes ago noting that Iran has sent a medical team to Haiti, without contributing to the relief effort itself. It is rather like Hollywood celebrities establishing their own foundations to help the starving people in Africa - all very well and good but they would probably be better off contributing to existing charities rather than simply trying to polish their own self-image, which is really what this is all about.

While Shira's post was truly disgusting, even compared to his/her normal standards, his/her post really was just a particularly brazen example of something that has been happening across the board in Haiti.

[Behind the Aegis]

32. "I think the problem seems to be that if any OTHER country than Israel were miles ahead in...

...efficiency and preparedness, you'd be more likely to agree with me."

Katrina.

Bush.

The Netherlands.

[shira]

34. nah....let that shit happen again, who gives a flying flip if the USA is not as prepared as

...it should be each and every time disaster strikes?

Save 10 thousand lives efficiently or 3 thousand inefficiently, whatever.

:eyes:

[IndianaGreen]

57. Criticism of Israel's policies is even spilling out into criticism of anything Israel

even on a successful humanitarian mission such as Haiti.

Israel deserves a lot of commendation for what it is doing in Israel, and we would be remiss if we fail to learn some lessons from Israel when it comes to disaster relief, and terrorism.

[shira]

61. Disgusting isn't it? How irrational hatred blinds people....

This is only a 'political stunt' by Israel, there's nothing any other nation can learn from Israel's efforts...

:eyes:

Predictable, sick Stormfront droolings, re-packaged as "progressive" talking points by peace and HR posers incapable of seeing Israel in any positive way.

======

and now I must retire from DU....

[Violet_Crumble]

25. Well said, Az. It's sickening to see some use the relief attempt as a tool to bludgeon Obama with...

The armchair disaster relief 'experts' aren't unexpected, however, given the ignorant ugliness I've read upstairs since the earthquake...

[shira]

27. what are you talking about? no one here is bludgeoning Obama.

[Violet_Crumble]

28. Fucking bullshit they're not.

Only a blind moron who never leaves the I/P forum would make such an idiotic claim as you just did...

[shira]

29. i wrote "here".

[Violet_Crumble]

31. So fucking what? I didn't, and that's what you decided to reply to..

And in this thread alone, both you and Indy fall into the bludgeoning category...

[azurnoir]

37. Actually Indy has made some comments about Obama

prior to now over completely unrelated issues it was DADT I believe, my intial question was to her and for that reason

[Violet_Crumble]

43. Yeah, I've seen some stuff upstairs in the past day or so about the earthquake

From Indy, of course, as there's others who never ever ever post anywhere else but in this forum and never ever ever talk about anything else unless it's mainly to do with Israel...

What's DADT mean?

[azurnoir]

44. don't ask don't tell

it's the US military policy were being Gay in the military is concerned

to be honest I am not sure if it is a written policy or the way it is handled

[Violet_Crumble]

47. Thanks n/t

[azurnoir]

35. comment #17

oh and I would guess congratulations are in order

[shira]

36. comment 17 states the next time this happens, it's on Obama, not this time

...and whenever 'next time' happens, and we see the same shit on CNN, we should all be pretty damned mad, dontcha think?

oh, as for congratulations, I don't vote brown shirts.

[azurnoir]

38. No I really do not think anger is an issue here n/t

[shira]

39. do you think that the next time disaster strikes, we should expect the USA to operate....

much more efficiently, or at least as well as Israel?

[azurnoir]

41. Of course there is always room for improvment

however Israel is a militarized society were most adults serve so the readiness factor is no surprise IMO
there is also the fact that Israel has done little besides the medical aspect which yes they have done an exemplary job of in Haiti, where as the US has been handling most of the operations in every area

[shira]

45. so we agree that the USA should catch up to Israel in some areas

The IDF in Haiti was also the first and only (for some time) to establish communications/internet in Haiti. CNN was using Israel's internet/communications when they started reporting in Haiti.

The IDF also pulled out 19 live people from the rubble, which is more than any other nation including the USA.

========

The point is that I, for one, never wish to see such a display again because it shows many more hundreds of lives could have been saved, but weren't due to _________? As I've repeated several times, as long as other nations (especially the USA) cooperate and collaborate with Israel, many more lives will be saved the next time around.

I'm not sure why you disagree.

[azurnoir]

52. Trying to put words again? why yes you are

what I have said is that this should not be used to as a Israel great US (under Obama) not so good really not good at all why people died because the US (under Obama) is so terrible issue and that is something you done at very turn on this thread

eta can you provide a link proving your claims about Israels rescue efforts vs the US's

[shira]

53. looks like you're putting words in my mouth, like someone else here

Who's saying Israel is great, they're the "winner" of some stupid competition, and the US not so much?

I can't understand why you wish to pretend what the USA is doing is as good as it gets or why you wouldn't want the USA to operate under maximum efficiency during disasters. Can you explain? Also, are you against the US and other western nations collaborating more with Israel WRT disaster relief since Israel has something positive to offer? You'd rather isolate and ignore all that is 'Israel' rather than cooperate with Israel - which would save more lives in the future? Please tell me I'm wrong.

Check this article out...you think it's bad 30 countries participated in this event in Tel Aviv?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1143850.html

Why isn't the same happening WRT disaster relief? We can at least agree more collaboration and participation should be happening, right? Maybe not, you tell me.

Here's the article about Israel pulling 19 out of the rubble, more than any other delegation...
http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=27779

As for communications and internet...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/01/israel-working-in-haiti.html

[shira]

55. feel free to answer or not, I'm outta here for some time...

...at least 6 months.

[azurnoir]

62. My point here is that this situation and time

and this particular thread is really not the place for those on either side to be grinding political axes, it has nothing really to do with Israel or Obama. Is there room for improvement yes I already said that, should the rescue effort be collaborative yes I already said that too

[Kurska]

6. How the fuck hard was it to get a damn field hospital setup that can handle surgery

Why could Israel do it but not us, how did we not have the foresight to do that.

God damn thats frustrating.

[IndianaGreen]

7. and Israel is on the other side of the planet

while the US is practically next door.

[Kurska]

8. Apparently we have had surgeons there, but didn't bring equipment.

Life sure would be alot simplier if these natural disasters let us do a few dress rehearsals to get the finer points down, huh? I really don't envy the person organizing this absolute chaos.

[IndianaGreen]

9. The head of USAID, Rajiv Shah, has zero experience on disaster management

Apparently his qualifications to his position is that he was a major contributor to Hillary Clinton's campaign, and was with the Bill Gates Foundation. A new Brownie in the making!

The Israelis had to fly their entire operation from the other side of the world, while we are practically next door!

[Kurska]

10. Not to be cynical, but Israel has experience with these sort of things.

Israel has been under threat from SOMETHING or other for 60 years and has developed one of the world's finest emergency management systems in the world, I'm not surprised it has projected half way across the world so well.

On the other hand we've dropped just about every major disaster we've dealt with in the past 10 years, from 9-11, to Katrina and we're just barely hanging on by our nails to this one, we need a major reworking of our entire disaster management system from the ground up, it isn't working.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Makes one wonder how we will respond to a major earthquake in US

Of all the lessons to be learned from Israel, this is the most important.

[Kurska]

12. Article on what Israel is doing for earthquakes.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1263147896847&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

To answer your question though, I guess it depends where, Infrastructure is huge for this sort of thing. Haiti just happened to lose the natural disaster jackpot, few ports, fewer airports, mountainous, poor roads, terrible construction standards. But things could go bad for us too, imagine if we had a major earthquake DURING a major blizzard, parts of the country can literally be shut down by those for days, imagine trying to move supplies into that.

This is obviously as good a wake up call as any to start thinking about these things more seriously.

[IndianaGreen]

13. Thank you, Kurska, that is a very informative article.

Israel is in a major quake area, as I was reminded when I watched a TV show on the excavations at ancient Jericho, and the advice given to Israelis should be heeded by us as well.

Thanks! :-)

[Kurska]

14. No problem, good article, very hopeful we can learn the lessons of this.

Avoid it happening here.

[shira]

15. here's an article pointing to the difference between US and Israeli care in Haiti

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/18/haiti.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T1

"I've been here since Thursday. No one except the Israeli hospital has taken any of our patients," she told CNN's Elizabeth Cohen.

Cohen visited the Israeli hospital and said it was "like another world," with imaging equipment and other machinery. "They have actual operating rooms, and it's just amazing."

[Scurrilous]

40. Haiti: An Israeli Public Relations Moment?

<snip>

"It's been a tough year for Israeli public diplomacy.

In the aftermath of the Gaza war, for over 12 months the Jewish state has been slammed by international media, think tanks, rights organizations and the United Nations.

Ambassadors have been recalled from Tel Aviv, arrest warrants have been issued for senior Israeli politicians and leaders, a Holocaust survivor led a fast for Gaza, dozens of human rights reports on Israel's conduct in the war have been widely distributed and the international campaigns to launch boycotts and sanctions against Israel have seen measured success.

Israel has without question been in dire need of an image makeover.

They got it: for better or worse, Israel has received its public relations knight in shining armor in the form of an earthquake in Haiti.

Israel sent more than 200 Israeli doctors, nurses, soldiers and volunteers to Haiti soon after the gravity of the damage in Haiti became apparent. Within two days of arriving, the Israeli delegation had set up a field hospital, administered emergency medical aid from the Port-au-Prince stadium and rescued over a dozen living survivors from collapsed buildings."

<snip>

"Israeli newspapers and TV news programs have dedicated extensive space to coverage of the Israeli delegation in Haiti. Former President Bill Clinton's thanks to Israel made the front page of Israel's leading daily on Wednesday, followed by an article on the effects of Israel's aid entitled "Now They Love Us." When a Haitian mother who gave birth in the Israeli field hospital decided to name her child Israel it was the leading news item in most news outlets.

"Israel sent a very large delegation and we were one of the first to arrive," Mati Goldstein, head of the ZAKA Israeli rescue delegation, told The Media Line on the phone from Haiti. "We built a hospital, are treating 300 to 400 people a day, and rescued 19 people from the rubble, more than any other delegation."

Yuli Edelstein, Israel's Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy Minister, said rescue operations were one of Israel's shining lights.

"Whenever there is a disaster happening in any part of the world, Israel is reacting," he told The Media Line. "We unfortunately have a lot of experience and well trained personnel that can help a civilian population suffering the consequences of earthquakes, floods, any kind of disaster. Israeli forces, rescue teams and medical teams operated in Armenia, in Mexico, in certain parts of Africa, all over the world."

"The response in Haiti was very quick," Edelstein said. "Before most of the countries managed to prepare their field hospitals for action, the Israeli doctors and nurses were already practically saving peoples lives... at this stage we are talking about hundreds of lives saved in Haiti by the Israeli team... From the reactions we are getting from different crews, delegations, teams from all over the world in Haiti, they basically all admire the work of the Israeli team."

But while praising Israel's response, critics say Israeli attempts to accent their aid to Haiti have been over-the-top, and accuse Israeli public relations officials of exploiting the disaster for political ends.

"The extreme right wing in Israel is using the Haiti operation to reframe the fallout from the Goldstone report in the eyes of the world," Dr Yoel Donchin, an Israeli anesthesiologist and a veteran of Israeli rescue operations told The Media Line. "They know the Haitians are not part of the agenda and this is just for propaganda. But if it's good for Israel they don't care.”

"You can't save everyone, and anyone who has studied mass casualty situations knows that the first thing you have to do is not rush in but to send a small team to evaluate what is the best way to help in the long run," he said. "So the fact that Israel wants to race to be the first to be there means nothing in the big picture, because Israel is usually the first to arrive but also the first to leave.”

"If, for example, Israel were to bring water purification systems and chemical toilets it would be much more helpful," Dr Donchin said. "But their logic is that then it wouldn't get on the news."

http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=27779

[proteus_lives]

56. Good for Israel!

They're great at disaster management.

:thumbsup:

[ConsAreLiars]

59. And Israel denies Oxfam, Save the Children, and Doctors Without Borders work visas

for entering Israel which, if granted, would have legally allowed them (if they could then get through the blockades) to assist the surviving Palestinians who have been maimed, starved, brutalized and traumatized. This pathetic PR stunt, no matter how hyped and exaggerated, does not change reality.

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

64. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jim Sagle]

65. No, I'd like to stop the killing.