(Communicated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security and the National Emergency Authority)
The Middle East Forest Fires (MEFF) joint international exercise taking place today (Tuesday, 24 October 2017), is conducted under the sponsorship of EU member states: Italy, France and Spain, and held in participation and under the positive cooperation of Jordan, Israel and the PA.
The joint exercise, supported by the European Commission's Civil Protection Exercise program, aims to preserve lives and natural resources, regardless of nationality and/or borders.
The exercise will encompass 400 active participants, from the First Response sectors of the participating countries, aiming to cooperate in Firefighting, Medical care and the dispersal of Humanitarian aid - in a scenario where a regional disaster strikes, and proliferates from one country to its neighbors.
Members of the Israeli and Palestinian teams participating in the exercise. Photo: MFA.
The exercise will be held (in Israel) between October 24-25.
The overall goal of the exercise is for participants to exchange knowledge and attain common capacities, to effectively respond to disaster situations, especially along and across mutual borders.
It is especially inspiring to note that Palestinians, Jordanian and Israelis will be working side-by-side with a single common objective: saving lives, irrespective of nationality.