Taiwan stands with the Jewish state in its “toughest moments,” the island democracy’s diplomatic office in Israel said on Wednesday, highlighting a recent donation it made for the ZAKA search and rescue group that was used after the Beit Shemesh attack that claimed nine lives.
“Taiwan donated to the ZAKA organization for the purchase of life-saving operational equipment. Some of the equipment acquired through this donation was used this week at the disaster scene in Beit Shemesh, where nine people were killed by the impact of an Iranian ballistic missile,” Taiwan’s mission in Israel wrote on social media, referencing the internationally recognized volunteer disaster victim recovery organization.
The office moreover said that Ya-Ping (Abby) Lee, Taiwan’s representative in Israel, recently participated at ZAKA’s annual conference in Tel Aviv, in which she said, “Taiwan and Israel may be geographically distant, but they are close in their values—strong democracies that stand side by side even in difficult times.”
The conference was held on Feb. 23, five days before the war with Iran broke out.
Meanwhile, Israel Hayom on Tuesday reported that Taiwan will donate 640,000 shekels (~$207,000) to the city of Beit Shemesh in light of the Iranian missile attack.
Taiwan’s office said after the attack that it was “deeply saddened by the devastating missile strike. ... We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed, and we wish strength and a full recovery to all who were injured. … We grieve with you and reaffirm our support for peace, safety and security for all.”
Israel has a representative office in Taipei, known as the Israeli Economic and Cultural Office.
