July 26, 2010, Updated September 24, 2012

At the request of the United Nations, Israel’s Cabinet decided yesterday to dispatch a group of police personnel to Haiti.

The group, which will work on a voluntary basis, is to operate as part of an Italian-Israeli-Serbian combined force to assist in upholding public order and stabilizing the situation following the severe earthquake that struck Haiti in January.

The delegation will number 14 officers and assist the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINHUSTAH). The earthquake killed more than 100,000 people; left hundreds of thousands injured; and damaged the homes of approximately three million.

Dispatching the mission and operating it for six months will cost an estimated NIS 2 million ($520,000) beyond the costs covered by the UN.

Referring to the police delegation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “This is a Jewish and humanistic action and it follows up on the rapidly-organized activity that preceded it after the Haitian earthquake.”

Due to its crisis-fraught history, Israel is a world leader in disaster response, often first on the scene to provide assistance following tragic events at any spot around the globe.

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