An Israel government Boeing 707 landed briefly at Dulles Airport today enroute to Guatemala with 20 tons of relief supplies for victims of the major earthquake which struck that Central American country earlier this week.
The plane was greeted by the Guatemalan Ambassador to the U.S., Julio Asensio-Wunderlich who expressed his “deepest gratitude” on behalf of his government to the people of Israel “for taking the trouble to fly such a long distance with the much needed supplies.” He added that “Between countries that respect each other, there really are no long distances.”
Ambassador Jacob Barmore, director of the Central American division of Israel’s Foreign Ministry who is travelling with the relief plane, told the Guatemalan envoy. “This is not a gift from our government but from our people.” He said the airlift was “the reflection and expression of solidarity of Israel’s people with Guatemala’s people.” The relief supplies include blankets, medical equipment and food. The Israeli plane landed at Dulles to refuel for the final leg of its long flight from Tel Aviv.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
