Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu honored foreign rescue and fire fighting delegations that assisted in putting out the fire.
During a ceremony Dec. 7, the Israeli leaders presented certificates of appreciation and awards to the heads of each foreign rescue delegation for their efforts and assistance in extinguishing the fire.
Some 300 members of the delegations participated in the event, including firefighters, pilots, emergency response experts and ambassadors from 10 countries. Aid came from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Britain, United States, Russia, Jordan, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority, according to the president’s office.
“In helping us douse the flames, you have warmed the hearts of the entire nation and you have shown us that we are not alone,” Netanyahu said.
Christos Oikonomou, head of the 70-member Greek rescue delegation, spoke on behalf of all of the foreign teams, saying in part, “Real friends speak with their deeds. We are your friends and that’s what we tried to do.” — jta