Gary Fitleberg, January 6, 2005

Israelis flocked to a Magen David Adom drive to help victims of the Asian tsunami.

More than 4,000 staff and volunteers from the Israeli relief agency went to Israeli supermarkets this week on a 48-hour drive to raise foods and provisions to be sent to affected Indian Ocean sites. "We had initially chosen just two days for the food drive, but the response has been so incredible, that we've decided to extend it for another two days," the agency's international director, Yoni Yagodovsky, said Wednesday.

So far the Israeli ambulance service has collected 2.5 tons of flour, 920 tons of rice, more than 920 quarts of oil, 1.5 tons of pasta and 40,000 quarts of mineral water. Private Israeli charities have also reported record responses to their appeals for tsunami aid.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2005 Gary Fitleberg