Since 2010, there
have been civil uprisings in Middle Eastern countries due to the people’s
exhaustion of their extreme authoritarian governments. Beginning with Tunisia, Egypt, Libya
and Syria, the countries’ people have been trying to overthrow their
governments to acquire more political freedoms and civil rights. Syrians revolted
against their President, Bashar al-Assad’s ruthless rein. The frustrations and
anger he has brought on his people has fueled a civil war in Syria. In the
article “IDF Allows First Peek IntoSecret Golan Heights Field Hospital” in Times
of Israel, Yifa Yaakov, describes the critical and tense situation that
Syria is enduring in their civil war during these recent months. The reporter says, Israel has opened
their arms to help the people in need. Yaakov continues to point out in her article the humane acts
of kindness Israeli soldiers are showing towards the wounded Syrians during
this difficult time. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) established a secret medical
facility in Golan Heights to treat the Syrians. This location is in the northern
border region between Israel and Syria, which could be easy to travel to for
the Syrians. Many are wounded critically on their bodies to the point of
amputation. The facility in Golan Heights has the IDF trained for these severe
conditions. The interesting part of this article was that the Syrian patients
had preconceived judgments on the Israelis and were suspicious of their help.
This being said, in this desperate time of need, the Syrian patients turned to
the Israelis for help regardless.
Yifa Yaakov makes
a cautious objective to show how the Syrian patients were skeptical about the
Israeli efforts to provide humanitarian aid. This preconceived thought was based on what was being
presented to them by the Syrian government as a tool to install fear and
prevent any form of harmony between the two nations. The author goes on to show
how the Israeli Defense Force was willing to risk their safety to help the
wounded Syrians despite what opinions they had of them. Some patients said that
their government said they were Satan and the enemies of the Syrians. The patients quickly pointed out how
their own government in Syria would not help them but the Israelis cared for
them and have been aiding their needs in this critical time. This situation has shed a new light on
how the Syrians that were treated feel towards their neighboring country,
Israel. As Israel continuously
helps the wounded from the civil war, Syrians are making their own opinions on
the Israelis and not relying on their President’s word. Yaakov displayed this
trend a few times quoting different patients on how appreciative they are
receiving aid from the Israelis and their bitter feelings toward their own
Syrian government in this difficult time.
In the article,
Yifa Yaakov provides a fair amount of information to prove what the IDF is
doing for the Syrians in Golan Heights. She not only writes about it, but she
has a few pictures displaying the hospital as well, which was broadcasted in
the Channel 2 news on Israel television. Yaakov also writes how many patients have been treated in the
facilities, which are over 700 Syrian patients since the hospital has been open
less than a year ago in 2013. She also points out how important this hospital
is in Golan Heights because of how many wounded Syrian patients come in and out
of the facilities and are treated because of them. Without this humanitarian
aid by the Israelis, many more Syrians would have suffered and possibly died because
of no help from their own country. It is heartening to see how human beings
help others in difficult times of need regardless of what others think or say
about each other’s cultures.
In Yaakov’s
article, she had continuously shown a positive light on what Israel is doing
for their neighboring country, Syria. I was curious that she did not report
what happens after the wounded Syrian patients are taken care of. Do they go
back to Syria? Are they safe to even return home, or do they stay in Israel? In
my research I did stumble upon an article that addressed my questions I had for
Yaakov’s article. It was
frightening to read that these patients in the Golan Heights facilities were
actually “afraid to return home”. The wounded Syrians face risks crossing
the boarder to be treated and to go back to their broken home. They also go to
this hospital secretly, so they are not framed as traders of their own country,
which they could be killed for. Yaakov did not mention any of this, which led me to my
curiosity. Even though the IDF is doing something nice, it is not completely in
the Syrians’ favor to risk their lives because of potential persecution by
their own government. After my
research, I feel like this situation for the Syrian people who are seeking
treatment is a double-edged sword.
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