Israeli Company Offers To Help Syrian Refugees, Offer Subject To Government Approval

Times of Israel | International

Firm CEO says his Company can help 200 families live and work in Israeli Negev District

* SodaStream CEO, Daniel Birnbaum
(Credit: Times of Israel)

SodaStream, a Technology company that manufactures Home Carbonation Systems, located in the Negev Desert has offered to help 200 Syrian families resettle in Israel, the Times of Israel reports Tuesday.

The lucky families be provided with employment in the global company's new factory in the Negev Desert.

It comes as a welcome surprise even though Israel is reported to be `formerly at war with Syria', and as a deviation from Prime Minister Netanyahu's earlier statement that Israel was not unsympathetic to the refugee situation but simply too small to help.

“Israel is not indifferent to human tragedy; we conscientiously handled a thousand [people] who were wounded in the fighting in Syria and we have helped them rebuild their lives,” PM Netanyahu had said, adding “However, Israel is a very small country. It has no demographic depth and has no geographic breadth,” the prime minister continued. “We cannot allow Israel to be flooded with infiltrators.”

Sodastream CEO, Daniel Birnbaum, who made the announcement over the weekend declared: “As the son of a Holocaust survivor, I refuse to stand by and observe this human tragedy unfold right across the border in Syria.”

Continuing, the CEO said: “Just as we have always done our best to help our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the West Bank, the time has come for local business and municipal leaders to address the Syrian humanitarian crisis and take the initiative to help those in need," adding "We cannot expect our politicians to bear the entire burden of providing aid for the refugees.”

His statement, however, remains subject to approval by the Israeli government and may represent a change of policy if granted.

Many Arab countries have remained silent to the refugee crisis and Europe has had to re-introduce border checks after Germany, which threw it's open, was overwhelmed within weeks.

Britain has confirmed it will accept 20,000 more refugees which will be spread over five years to 2020. The figure is in addition to over £1bn which has already been spent since the crisis began.