Israel

Israel to Send Help to Vanuatu

Sunday, March 15, 2015 9:50 pm | < 1 Minute Read

Debris is left by a strom surge after flood waters moved inland, on the island of Kiribati. Cyclone Pam pounded South Pacific islands with hurricane-force winds, huge ocean swells and flash flooding. (Plan International Australia via Getty Images)

The cyclone-devastated Vanuatu, an island group in the South Pacific, needs emergency assistance, and Israel will be making its contribution, The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday.

A meeting was scheduled for Monday in the Foreign Ministry to decide on what the aid package will contain, pending a U.N. assessment in the field.

Vanuatu, a cluster of 83 islands with a population of some 260,000 people in the south Pacific, is one of a number of pacific island states that traditionally vote with Israel or abstain on votes dealing with the Middle East in the United Nations.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Israel wants to help the country first because of the disaster, and secondly because of its friendship over the years.

At least eight people were killed, and tens of thousands of homes destroyed, as winds of more than 300 kph (186 miles per hour) ravaged the island over the weekend.

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the March 16th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.