Israel, Too, Turns to China for Covid-19 Help
Planeloads of supplies from China are a godsend for Israel, but an irritation to Washington.
Friend in need.
Photographer: AFP/AFPOn Monday morning, a refitted El Al passenger plane landed in Israel, carrying 20 tons of protective medical equipment, coronavirus testing supplies and other urgently needed support for Israel’s Covid-19 effort. Ten more such flights are scheduled.
Israel, for reasons that will certainly be investigated when the coronavirus crisis is over, has been badly understocked from the outset. It has scrambled to buy more equipment in a hyper-competitive world market, and its efforts have been largely unsatisfactory. The airlift — which was organized by Israel’s Defense Ministry but a large part of which was reportedly donated by Chinese citizens sympathetic to Israel — was a godsend.