Jordan, PA unite forces with Israel to fight natural disasters
Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and other countries participated in a two-day firefighting exercise to build a regional disaster response system, yet some Palestinians criticized the drills as increasing normalization with Israel.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — A joint training on Oct. 24 in Israel between the Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli civil defense units has been stirring accusations in Palestine of normalization. This training was held amid frozen security coordination between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel, which was halted in July following security measures at the Temple Mount. Coordination fully resumed between the two sides on Oct. 27.
More than 400 people from Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Spain, Italy and France participated on Oct. 24-25 in a two-day, wide-scale exercise dubbed "Middle East Forest Fires" between Hebron in the West Bank and Beersheba within the green line. The event was held under the auspices of the EU and aimed at beefing up mechanisms to address natural disasters.
