Nepal earthquake: How the Israeli mission played out

It wasn't exactly a military operation. But the speed and precision with which it was conducted may as well qualify it as one, albeit a peaceful one.

Arranging 7,000 bottles of water, 500 litres of milk, 300kg of chicken, 300kg of dry fruits, 400 bread loaves and of course huge quantities of medicine in a matter of just a few hours is by no means an easy task, logistically speaking. But it was done by a team of about 30 at the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi on April 28 for both members of its rescue, relief and medical teams in earthquake-hit Nepal and the quake-affected they were assisting.

The Israeli ambassador in India Daniel Carmon conceded that nothing in a diplomat's training in the academy prepares him or her to deal with such exigencies. “It’s not on the agenda of diplomatic academies,” he remarked while sharing details of the 11 tons of food and other material the Israeli and Indian staff at the embassy put together to ensure it could be transported to Kathmandu the very same day.

India and several other countries among them Israel, US, China and Pakistan rushed personnel to help in the rescue efforts as well as relief material for the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25.  

When the Israeli mission in Nepal sought more medicines and provisions from its embassy in Delhi, one staffer rushed off to the capital’s busy INA market to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Yet another headed for Bhogal to source the dry fruits.The Israeli teams in Nepal had sought these dry fruits to provide swift nutrition and energy to those being rescued from the rubble of homes that had come crashing down during the devastating temblor.      

Niv Saroka who’s with the administrative wing of the embassy sat in Bhogal market for two hours while the shopkeepers there sourced the huge requirement for dry fruits from Sadar Bazaar. Phones were cranked and a huge quantity of medicines arranged. The same was the case for the 7,000 bottles of water, each containing one litre.

The cartons containing these water bottles were delivered at the airport to be loaded onto an Israeli military cargo aircraft in Delhi to be transported to Kathmandu. The frozen chicken came in special boxes so that it would not spoil during its journey.

The work did not end there. The embassy staff then got down to labelling each of the cartons as they lay in the embassy premises which itself resembled cargo hold said Haim Levy, the chief administrative officer at the Embassy. “It was a very complicated task,” said Levy.

Not just in terms of gathering material but also in terms of coordinating with the Indian aviation and customs authorities. By 11pm on April 25, the supplies had been loaded onto the aircraft, ready to be flown to Kathmandu.

Ambassador Carmon acknowledges the “invaluable cooperation” his government received from the Indian government in its efforts to help Nepal.

However, diplomatic efforts to provide humanitarian aid and succor after a natural disaster at times come with their share of brickbats. The Israeli government has come under criticism domestically for only evacuating 26 infants born through surrogacy to gay couples from Nepal and not the women still carrying surrogate babies for Israelis. A large number of gay Israeli couples and men have made Nepal their destination for having surrogate children as their own country’s law prevents them from having a surrogate child.

It’s noteworthy that many of the surrogates for Israeli couples are largely Indian women from the economically weaker strata who travel across the border to become surrogates, tempted by the money they will make by renting their womb.

Ambassador Carmon when asked about the controversy surrounding the non-evacuation of such surrogate mothers said the Israeli government is taking it as an issue that needs to be dealt with seriously. Yet another Israeli diplomat Ziv Bilaus said: “All obligations towards the mother (surrogate) have been done… no surrogate mother has been left behind with an open obligation.” Embassy spokesperson Ohad Horsandi said only Israeli citizens have been evacuated.