Israeli Foreign Ministry Announces Delegation to Help Combat CA Wildfires

The team will be in California for two weeks.

[additional-authors]

Aaron Bandler

August 28, 2020

HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 20: A local resident stands next to a vineyard while watching the LNU Lightning Complex fire burning in nearby hills on August 20, 2020 in Healdsburg, California. The LNU Lightning Complex fire is spread over 5 counties and has burned over 130,000 acres. The out-of-control wildfire has destroyed at least 50 homes and is zero percent contained. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced on Aug. 28 that an Israeli delegation will be sent to California to help combat the ongoing wildfires in the state.

The Times of Israel reported that the delegation will consist of firefighters, experts and a Foreign Ministry representative; the team will leave Israel on Aug. 30 and will stay in California for two weeks.

The delegation was formed in conjunction with the Public Ministry and came about after discussions between the American Embassy in Israel and the San Francisco Israeli consulate.

“I praise the members of the delegation and wish them success on their mission,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said in a statement.

Shlomi Kofman, the Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, tweeted, “This would not have been possible without the strong partnership that Israel & California have forged over many decades. This mutual aid operation is being conducted in the spirit of friendship and as a reciprocal gesture for the US providing critical firefighting resources to Israel in 2016.”

This would not have been possible without the strong partnership that Israel & California have forged over many decades. 🇮🇱 🇺🇸

— Shlomi Kofman 🇮🇱 (@ShlomiKofman) August 28, 2020

This mutual aid operation is being conducted in the spirit of friendship and as a reciprocal gesture for the US providing critical firefighting resources to Israel in 2016. @IsraelinUSA @DavidRoet @IsraelinNewYork

— Shlomi Kofman 🇮🇱 (@ShlomiKofman) August 28, 2020

AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] tweeted, “Israel: An ally we can count on.”

This is what friendship looks like.

Israel is sending a delegation of firefighters to help fight the deadly wildfires in California.

Israel: An ally we can count on. https://t.co/XX3lgqw5lj

— AIPAC (@AIPAC) August 26, 2020

According to the Associated Press (AP), the fires have burned more than 2,000 square miles across the state, with Northern California bearing the brunt of the fire damage. More than 50,000 people who have had to evacuate because of the fires were allowed to go back their homes on the evening of Aug. 27, the AP reported.