Operation Good Neighbor Factsheet

Operation Good Neighbor: Factsheet

Context:

Since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel and Syria have not had formal diplomatic relations. A ceasefire established in 1974 created a UN buffer zone, known as the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), along the Golan Heights.

In 2013, a wounded Syrian came up to the Israeli-Syrian border asking the IDF for medical care. At the time, there was no official policy; it was up to the officer on the ground made a decision, and he decided to help. After this first gesture of assistance, humanitarian aid to Syrians became common, with almost daily aid being given. In June 2016, as part of a program to broaden these efforts, the IDF Northern Command officially opened the headquarters for Operation Good Neighbor. This consisted of medical aid (hospital treatment, medical supplies, equipment etc.), infrastructure aid (fuel, generators, water pipes, etc.), and civilian aid (food, baby formula, diapers, etc.).

Facts:

• The 200,000 residents of the Hauran Region in southwestern Syria were the primary receivers of aid.
• Roughly 30% of aid recipients were displaced or refugees.
• Roughly 50% of aid recipients were under the age of 18.
• Over 4,000 Syrians were brought into Israel for medical treatment.
• 450,000 liters of fuel were given for heating, operating water wells, and ovens.
• 40 tons of flour, 225 tons of food, 12,000 baby formula packages, 1,800 packages of diapers, 12 tons of shoes, and 55 tons of cold weather clothing were given to Syrians in need.
• Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, other Israeli non-profits, as well as American-based Christian churches donated to cover part of the cost of medical expenses for Syrian children.
• Israel helped transport 100 White Helmet rescue workers and 300 of their family members from Syria to Jordan.

Videos:

What now after Asad?

Now that Assad regime is ousted and Iranian influence is gone Syria is finally free (other than heavy Turkish influence). Given Operation Good Neighbor, Israeli-Syrian peace aspirations are much more plausible. Not to mention, Israel armed and funded at least 12 rebel groups in the war against the Assad regime. The Syrian people will not easily forget the assistance Israel gave when they were in need, and neither will the rebels. This will hopefully open the door for Israel and Syria to embark on the path of peace and reconstruction, and put behind them the decades of war and devastation.

Sources:

IDF. (2017, July 19). Operation Good Neighbor. Retrieved from https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/wars-and-operations/operation-good-neighbor/

Ahronheim, A. (2018, February 3). Operation Good Neighbor: Bringing injured and sick Syrians into Israel. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/magazine/operation-good-neighbor-540359

Gradstein, L. (2018, July 24). An IDF program that saves the lives of Syrian children. Hadassah Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2018/07/24/saving-lives-syrian-children/

The Jerusalem Post. (2018, September 7). Foreign report: Israel armed Syrian rebels to fight Iran proxy and ISIS. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/foreign-report-israel-aids-rebels-to-fight-iran-proxy-and-isis-566713