Ankara accepts Israel’s offer of earthquake aid

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ankara finally accepted Israel’s offer of earthquake aid, two days after a devastating temblor, and following a number of rebuffed Israeli government offers of assistance, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Since the earthquake hit on Sunday, October 23, both President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu contacted their Turkish counterparts and offered assistance.

According to a Foreign Ministry spokesman, the Turks made a request through the embassy in Ankara for Israel to send mobile homes to the devastated Van province.

The Defense Ministry chartered a civilian Boeing 747 to take seven mobile homes to Turkey. According to a Defense Ministry official, this will be the first of a number of planes that will be sent carrying aid.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee also announced it has started collecting money to “ensure the victims’ immediate needs are addressed.”