You are here

Big, memorable success

Jul 23,2018 - Last updated at Jul 23,2018

Jordan has proudly taken part in a great multiparty humanitarian scheme to salvage the stranded "White Helmets" personnel still deployed in the southwest of Syria in the face of the advancing Syrian army and have them evacuated to Jordan, pending their resettlement in Germany, Canada and the UK.

The White Helmets, otherwise known as the Syrian Rescue Workers or the Syrian Civil Defence, have been offering humanitarian services, including medical assistance, to the Syrian people in areas where no such services ever existed during the eight-year armed conflict in Syria.

The evacuation of these fine and brave people entailed cooperation between Israel, which helped with their evacuation, and Jordan, which accepted to offer them temporary sanctuary.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained that he was asked by President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Western leaders to help with the rescue operation. The US State Department welcomed the rescue plan for these “brave volunteers" and cited the UN, Israel and Jordan for helping with the operation.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi acknowledged on Sunday Jordan's humanitarian role in the rescue operation and acknowledged as well that 422 Syrian people have indeed entered Jordan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the evacuated people would be temporarily settled in a closed area for a period of three months, during which arrangements for their resettlement in Canada, Germany and the UK would be finalised.

Paradoxically, Damascus called this rescue operation a "scandal" because it has always viewed the White Helmets as "enemy number one". Russia joined forces with Damascus in regarding and treating the White Helmets as "terrorists" and "agents" of foreign powers or as cooperating with insurgents in Syria! In retrospect, the Syrian and Russian positions on the White Helmets are the ones that are scandalous and most regrettable.

Jordan can be proud of its role in this internationally acclaimed humanitarian operation in order to make the rescue of the White Helmets a big and memorable success.

up
45 users have voted.


Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF