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Nanjeanne
Nanjeanne's Journal
Nanjeanne's Journal
April 21, 2024
Read whole article: [link:https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israel-rafah-strikes-children-us-aid-package_n_6624c60ee4b0167f7bf53d1d|]
And thank you to the brave 37 Democrats who tried to end this slaughter by voting NO on the Israel aid bill:
Becca Balint of Vermont
Don Beyer of Virginia
Earl Blumenauer of Oregon
Jamaal Bowman of New York
Cori Bush of Missouri
Andre Carson of Indiana
Greg Casar of Texas
Joaquin Castro of Texas
Judy Chu of California
Mark DeSaulnier of California
Lloyd Doggett of Texas
Maxwell Frost of Florida
John Garamendi of California
Chuy García of Illinois
Al Green of Texas
Jonathan Jackson of Illinois
Pramila Jayapal of Washington
Hank Johnson of Georgia
Ro Khanna of California
Dan Kildee of Michigan
Barbara Lee of California
Summer Lee of Pennsylvania
Jim McGovern of Massachusetts
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York
Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
Chellie Pingree of Maine
Mark Pocan of Wisconsin
Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts
Delia Ramirez of Illinois
Jamie Raskin of Maryland
Mark Takano of California
Bennie Thompson of Mississippi
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan
Jill Tokuda of Hawaii
Nydia Velázquez of New York
Maxine Waters of California
Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey
Israeli Strikes On Rafah Kill 22, Mostly Children, As U.S. Advances Aid Package
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 22 people, including 18 children, health officials said Sunday, as the United States was on track to approve billions of dollars of additional military aid to Israel, its close ally.
Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive against the Hamas militant group to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the U.S.
SNIP
The first Israeli strike in Rafah killed a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant and the doctors saved the baby, the hospital said. The second strike killed 17 children and two women from an extended family.
“These children were sleeping. What did they do? What was their fault?” asked one relative, Umm Kareem. Another relative, Umm Mohammad, said the oldest killed, an 80-year-old aunt, was taken out “in pieces.” Small children were zipped into body bags.
Mohammed al-Beheiri said his daughter, Rasha, and her six children, the youngest 18 months old, were among those killed. A woman and three children were still under the rubble.
Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive against the Hamas militant group to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the U.S.
SNIP
The first Israeli strike in Rafah killed a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant and the doctors saved the baby, the hospital said. The second strike killed 17 children and two women from an extended family.
“These children were sleeping. What did they do? What was their fault?” asked one relative, Umm Kareem. Another relative, Umm Mohammad, said the oldest killed, an 80-year-old aunt, was taken out “in pieces.” Small children were zipped into body bags.
Mohammed al-Beheiri said his daughter, Rasha, and her six children, the youngest 18 months old, were among those killed. A woman and three children were still under the rubble.
Read whole article: [link:https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israel-rafah-strikes-children-us-aid-package_n_6624c60ee4b0167f7bf53d1d|]
And thank you to the brave 37 Democrats who tried to end this slaughter by voting NO on the Israel aid bill:
Becca Balint of Vermont
Don Beyer of Virginia
Earl Blumenauer of Oregon
Jamaal Bowman of New York
Cori Bush of Missouri
Andre Carson of Indiana
Greg Casar of Texas
Joaquin Castro of Texas
Judy Chu of California
Mark DeSaulnier of California
Lloyd Doggett of Texas
Maxwell Frost of Florida
John Garamendi of California
Chuy García of Illinois
Al Green of Texas
Jonathan Jackson of Illinois
Pramila Jayapal of Washington
Hank Johnson of Georgia
Ro Khanna of California
Dan Kildee of Michigan
Barbara Lee of California
Summer Lee of Pennsylvania
Jim McGovern of Massachusetts
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York
Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
Chellie Pingree of Maine
Mark Pocan of Wisconsin
Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts
Delia Ramirez of Illinois
Jamie Raskin of Maryland
Mark Takano of California
Bennie Thompson of Mississippi
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan
Jill Tokuda of Hawaii
Nydia Velázquez of New York
Maxine Waters of California
Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey
April 6, 2024
Press Release: Joint Letter to White House on Attack on Humanitarian Workers in Gaza
WASHINGTON (April 4, 2024) — In response to the tragic killing of seven World Central Kitchen team members, six non-governmental organizations operating in Gaza--Anera, CARE USA, Humanity & Inclusion, MedGlobal, Project HOPE, and Save the Children US—have issued the following open letter to President Biden and the National Security Council:
President Joe Biden, United States of America
April 4, 2024
Mr. President:
We write to you as the leaders of US-based NGOs with staff operating on the frontlines of critical humanitarian efforts in Gaza. The majority of us have seen members of our staff killed or injured, and we fear deeply for the safety of our teams on the ground. This week, seven humanitarian aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK), including a US-Canadian dual citizen, were inexplicably killed in an Israeli strike after delivering lifesaving food aid to communities on the brink of famine in central Gaza. All seven of the aid workers killed in the strike were traveling in marked vehicles with WCK logos and their coordinates had been proactively shared in coordination with the Israeli government.
Their deaths were entirely preventable, but they are just the latest example of disturbing aid worker casualties in Gaza at the hands of Israeli forces. In the past six months, 203 aid workers have been killed in Gaza – more than in any recorded year to date. These include aid workers from US-based humanitarian organizations such as Project HOPE, World Central Kitchen, Anera, and Save the Children. NGO offices and other humanitarian facilities in Gaza have also been destroyed, even when deconflicted.
To support international humanitarian law (IHL), the United States has a responsibility to condemn these deplorable actions and hold the Israeli government accountable for failing to protect humanitarians who are delivering lifesaving aid to civilians. These individuals are protected under IHL, and the attacks undermine principles of IHL that have been in place for 160 years. They must stop. Every aid worker who died dedicated their life to helping others in need, and their senseless deaths are a devastating blow to their families, communities, and colleagues. The hazardous conditions facing aid workers exacerbate the already deeply dangerous and precarious conditions we’re facing in delivering humanitarian assistance to Gazans.
People in Gaza have lived in an ongoing nightmare for the last six months. Over 33,000 people have been killed, the majority of whom are women and children. If people are not dying just from violence, they are dying from malnutrition, dehydration, or disease.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in overcrowded camps with no access to adequate food, clean water, hygiene, and medical care. Among them are humanitarian aid workers and volunteers helping their neighbors and supporting their own families. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification asserts that famine is imminent, if not already present, and many are already suffering from malnutrition and starvation. People in Gaza need the support of humanitarian organizations now more than ever before.
As a result of recent attacks on humanitarian workers by the IDF, and to reevaluate the threats posed to our humanitarian operations, some humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza have temporarily paused programs. To safely operate and continue providing lifesaving care, we demand assurances that aid workers, including health workers, will be protected and that those responsible for these senseless killings will be held accountable.
We propose that the United States of America demand an independent investigation into these deadly attacks, withhold offensive arms transfers to the Israeli government, establish and maintain unhindered access and operations for humanitarian organizations, and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the region. With so many lives at stake, there can be no excuse for inaction, or for allowing this disastrous status quo to continue.
Respectfully,
Sean C. Carroll, President & CEO, Anera
Michelle Nunn, President & CEO, CARE USA
Jeff Meer, U.S. Executive Director, Humanity & Inclusion
Zaher Sahloul, President and co-founder, MedGlobal
Rabih Torbay, President & CEO, Project HOPE
Janti Soeripto, President & CEO, Save the Children US
April 6, 2024
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SNIP
Daniel Day Lewis, the actor, writing in 2005 after visiting Gaza for the first time: Inside Scarred Minds
[link:http://www.miftah.org/display.cfm?DocId=6978&CategoryId=20|]
Brilliant actor - brilliant writer. I found this article from 2005 that he wrote absolutely fascinating. And considering it was almost 20 years ago it brings a perspective to what has happened and is happening to Gazans. There are many stories in this piece but I can’t post them all due to DU restrictions. But I really encourage people to read the whole article and reflect on what was happening 20 years ago and is going on now.
Civilians have been the main victims of the violence inflicted by both sides in the Middle East conflict. In the Gaza Strip the Israeli army reacts to stone-throwing with bullets. It responds to the suicide bombs and attacks of Palestinian militants by bulldozing houses and olive groves in the search for the perpetrators, to punish their families, and to set up buffer zones to protect Israeli settlements. It bars access to villages, and multiplies checkpoints, cutting Gaza's population off from the outside world. MSF's psychologists are trying to help Palestinian families cope with the stress of living within these confines; visiting them, treating severe trauma and listening to their stories. Their visits are the only sign sometimes that they have not been abandoned.
Sometimes a family will not leave an area that is being cleared, believing if they do leave they will lose everything. It is a huge risk to remain. Sometimes a house is left standing, singled out for occupation by Israeli troops. The family is forced to remain as protection for the soldiers. Last year an average of 120 houses were demolished each month, leaving 1,207 homeless every month. In the past four years 28,483 Gazans have been forcibly evicted; over half of Gaza's usable land, mainly comprising citrus-fruit orchards, olive groves and strawberry beds, has been destroyed. Last year, 658 Palestinians were killed in the violence in Gaza, and dozens of Israelis. This ploughing under, house by house, orchard by orchard, reduces community to wasteland, strewn and embedded with a stunted crop of broken glass and nails, books, abandoned possessions. As we weave our way towards the home of Abu Saguer and his family — one of several families we will visit today — we are treading on shattered histories and aspirations.
SNIP
On October 15, 2000, Abu was at home with his wife when Israeli settlers emerged on a shooting spree. He and his family fled to Khan Yunis. After four days he returned. He was hungry. There was no bread, no flour. He killed four pigeons and prepared a fire on which to grill them. The soldiers arrived suddenly, about 20 of them, and entered the house. He followed them upstairs. "Where are you going?" he asked. One smashed his head into a door, breaking his nose. They kicked him down the stairs and out of his house. They kicked half his teeth out and left him with permanent damage to his spine. "If you open your mouth we'll shoot you," they said. They left, returning in a bigger group an hour later, to occupy the top of his house, sealing the stairway with a metal door and razor wire. The family has lived in constant fear ever since. The soldiers urinated and defecated into empty Coke bottles and sandbags, hurling them into his courtyard. They menaced his children with their weapons. After two years of this an officer asked: "Why are you still here?" "It's my house," he replied.
SNIP
They're a little tired of being shot at. We travel south from Erez toward Beit Lahiya through the area "sterilised" during "Days of Penitence". That was Israel's 17-day military offensive in northern Gaza that started on September 29, after a rocket fired by the Islamic militant group Hamas killed two toddlers in the Israeli town of Sederot, a kilometre away on the other side of the border. These home-made rockets have a five-mile range, so Israel sent in 2,000 troops and 200 tanks and armoured bulldozers to set up a 61/2-mile buffer zone and "clear out" suspected militants. Days of Penitence killed 107 Palestinians (at least 20 of them children), left nearly 700 homeless, and caused over $3m in property damage.
April 5, 2024
We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza. Yes Chef!
World Central Kitchen's Response to IDF Preliminary Investigation
[link:https://wck.org/news/preliminary-investigation|]
The IDF has acknowledged its responsibility and its fatal errors in the deadly attack on our convoy in Gaza. It is also taking disciplinary action against those in command and committed to other reforms. These are important steps forward.
However it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement. The IDF has acknowledged that our teams followed all proper communications procedures. The IDF’s own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat.
Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.
The root cause of the unjustified rocket fire on our convoy is the severe lack of food in Gaza. Israel needs to dramatically increase the volume of food and medicine traveling by land if it is serious about supporting humanitarian aid.
Food is a universal human right. WCK is proud to have fed families across Israel after October 7, and we continue to demand the release of all hostages. At the same time, we believe Palestinian families have the same universal right to food, water and medicine. We know Israelis, deep down, share the same values.
We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.
“It’s not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200,” said WCK founder José Andrés. “All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released.”
“Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort,” said WCK CEO Erin Gore. “It’s cold comfort for the victims’ families and WCK’s global family.”Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended.
However it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement. The IDF has acknowledged that our teams followed all proper communications procedures. The IDF’s own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat.
Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.
The root cause of the unjustified rocket fire on our convoy is the severe lack of food in Gaza. Israel needs to dramatically increase the volume of food and medicine traveling by land if it is serious about supporting humanitarian aid.
Food is a universal human right. WCK is proud to have fed families across Israel after October 7, and we continue to demand the release of all hostages. At the same time, we believe Palestinian families have the same universal right to food, water and medicine. We know Israelis, deep down, share the same values.
We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.
“It’s not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200,” said WCK founder José Andrés. “All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released.”
“Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort,” said WCK CEO Erin Gore. “It’s cold comfort for the victims’ families and WCK’s global family.”Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended.
We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza. Yes Chef!
April 2, 2024
SNIP
READ DETAILS HERE
Free link [link:https://archive.is/z3RU6|]
Haaretz link [link:https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-02/ty-article/.premium/idf-bombed-wck-aid-convoy-3-times-targeting-armed-hamas-member-who-wasnt-there/0000018e-9e75-d764-adff-9eff29360000|]
IDF Drone Bombed World Central Kitchen Aid Convoy Three Times, Targeting Armed Hamas Member Who
Wasn’t There
The strike on the aid convoy was travelled along a route preapproved and coordinated with the Israeli army killed seven workers of the World Central Kitchen – but the target, an armed man thought to be a terrorist, never left the warehouse with the cars
An Israeli drone fired three missiles one after the other at a World Central Kitchen aid convoy, that left Monday night to escort an aid truck to a food warehouse in Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to defense sources familiar with the details.
According to the defense sources, the cars were clearly marked on the roof and sides as belonging to the organization, but the war room of the unit responsible for security of the route that the convoy travelled identified an armed man on the truck and suspected that he was a terrorist.
According to the defense sources, the cars were clearly marked on the roof and sides as belonging to the organization, but the war room of the unit responsible for security of the route that the convoy travelled identified an armed man on the truck and suspected that he was a terrorist.
SNIP
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented said that the incident was a "tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip. This happens in war, and we will investigate it to the end. We are in contact with the governments involved, and we will do everything to insure that this does not happen again."
According to Deir al-Balah residents, who were in the area when the convoy was hit, the attack happened near the temporary pier set up to unload goods that reach Gaza by sea, like the shipments organized by WCK from Cyprus.
Some of the residents were skeptical about the army's stance that the event was a mistake and would be investigated, as the cars in the convoy were clearly identified as belonging to the humanitarian organization.
According to Deir al-Balah residents, who were in the area when the convoy was hit, the attack happened near the temporary pier set up to unload goods that reach Gaza by sea, like the shipments organized by WCK from Cyprus.
Some of the residents were skeptical about the army's stance that the event was a mistake and would be investigated, as the cars in the convoy were clearly identified as belonging to the humanitarian organization.
READ DETAILS HERE
Free link [link:https://archive.is/z3RU6|]
Haaretz link [link:https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-02/ty-article/.premium/idf-bombed-wck-aid-convoy-3-times-targeting-armed-hamas-member-who-wasnt-there/0000018e-9e75-d764-adff-9eff29360000|]
April 2, 2024
I’ve tried to keep away from posting for my own sanity and belief in humanity’s goodness - but this news has broken my heart once again.
[link:https://wck.org/news/gaza-team-update|]
World Central Kitchen Pausing Operations Immediately in the Region.
Statement:
World Central Kitchen is devastated to confirm seven members of our team have been killed in an IDF strike in Gaza.
The WCK team was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle.
Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.
“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore.
The seven killed are from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, and Palestine.
“I am heartbroken and appalled that we—World Central Kitchen and the world—lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF. The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished,” said Erin.
The IDF says it is “carrying out an in-depth examination at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
World Central Kitchen is pausing our operations immediately in the region. We will be making decisions about the future of our work soon.
The WCK team was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle.
Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.
“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore.
The seven killed are from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, and Palestine.
“I am heartbroken and appalled that we—World Central Kitchen and the world—lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF. The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished,” said Erin.
The IDF says it is “carrying out an in-depth examination at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
World Central Kitchen is pausing our operations immediately in the region. We will be making decisions about the future of our work soon.
I’ve tried to keep away from posting for my own sanity and belief in humanity’s goodness - but this news has broken my heart once again.
[link:https://wck.org/news/gaza-team-update|]
March 25, 2024
Read here: [link:https://archive.is/hCKey#selection-1133.0-1150.0|]
Subscriber Haaretz Link: [link:https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-03-25/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-cancels-washington-delegation-after-u-s-abstains-from-un-gaza-cease-fire-vote/0000018e-7622-d96c-af9f-7ee3aeb80000|]
UN Resolution Calling for Gaza Cease-fire Passes - Netanyahu Cancels Washington Delegation After U.S. Abstains
Security Council passes resolution demanding 'an immediate ceasefire' during Ramadan!
UN Security Council resolution calling for Gaza cease-fire passes for the first time since the war broke out after the U.S. abstains from using its veto power, despite Netanyahu threatening to cancel Washington delegation on Rafah
The resolution in question "demands an immediate cease-fire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a sustainable lasting ceasefire, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages," having the two matters run in parallel but not conditional upon the other.
The resolution also called for "ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs, and further demands that the parties comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons they detain."
Read here: [link:https://archive.is/hCKey#selection-1133.0-1150.0|]
Subscriber Haaretz Link: [link:https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-03-25/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-cancels-washington-delegation-after-u-s-abstains-from-un-gaza-cease-fire-vote/0000018e-7622-d96c-af9f-7ee3aeb80000|]
March 22, 2024
A thoughtful nuanced brave interview with Tony Kushner, brilliant playwright, author, screenwriter and Jew.
I didn't think I could love him more - but I spent 45 minutes listening to him and just so much respect. At a time right now when his play Angels in America is being performed in Tel Aviv - this was a fascinating discussion and his voice is a voice or reason and compassion - to me.
If you have 45 minutes - do listen. It is so worth it.
Haaretz free link: [link:https://archive.is/AMn8B|].
Spotify Link: [link:https://open.spotify.com/episode/5x0IBrZz9P0FsmtD18L4dm?autoplay=true|]
Don't just read the Haaretz article and think you will get the nuances and thoughfulness of the answers. Listen if you can.
*And on top of his Pulitzer prize winning Angels; so much admiration for his screenplays for Munich; Lincoln; Fences; West Side Story and the Fabelmans.
But - this might be the best - his six word memoir from It All Changed in an Instant:
At least I never voted Republican.
Tony Kushner
Tony Kushner
March 22, 2024
Yeah, of course . . . such caring for humanitarian needs . . .
Netanyahu: I told Binken that we intend to conduct a ground operation in Rafah, even without U.S. support
"I told him that we won't be able to beat Hamas without entering Rafah and killing the rest of their battalions that are there. I told him that I hope we do this with U.S. support, but if we need to - we will do it alone," said Netanyahu.
The prime minister added that he told Blinken that "we recognize the need to evacuate the civilian population from the war zones, and of course to care for the humanitarian needs, and we are acting to achieve this."
Yeah, of course . . . such caring for humanitarian needs . . .
March 21, 2024
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Read Haaretz subscribers [link:https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-21/ty-article-opinion/.premium/if-gazas-children-starve-israel-will-lose-its-moral-legitimacy-forever/0000018e-5c96-d3c4-a7cf-7dd6e7720000|]
Read Free Link [link:https://archive.is/KXavj|]
If Gaza's Children Starve, Israel Will Lose Its Moral Legitimacy Forever
By David Rothkopf, a former senior U.S. government official and the author of ten books on foreign policy and politics.
The fighting in Gaza must stop. Not tomorrow. Today.
All available resources must immediately be directed to stopping the unprecedented famine that is underway in that embattled sliver of land that has already seen unspeakable suffering. As bad as the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 was, the people and government of Israel must now recognize that today not just the country's security but its legitimacy are at stake as never before.
SNIP
Former USAID Administrator Gayle Smith told me, "We are already seeing death by starvation and are looking at an accelerating trajectory towards famine from now through May and likely catastrophic famine by July."
Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, said, "When children begin dying of evident starvation, as we're now seeing, that is indicative of extreme, sustained deprivation. Given the overwhelming levels of food deprivation and rapidly accelerating malnutrition in the latest reporting (doubled since January), this famine is building momentum very rapidly.
"There will a lot of kids right now who are at the level of advanced malnutrition that the dying kids were approximately four weeks ago. The numbers will keep rising until something major changes the trajectory."
Snip
If the race to avert catastrophic famine is lost," she states, it will not be the fault of aid groups: Responsibility should be laid firmly at the feet of the politicians whose responsibility it is to create such conditions.
That means, first and foremost, the Israeli government. But it also means all the nations of the world who are in a position to help, right now. The blame-shifting and inflamed rhetoric and political posturing and disastrous decision-making that have brought us to this awful point must stop. Fundamental decency requires it.
But so too does the recognition that the failure to effectively intervene now to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza will be a moral stain on the reputation of Israel from which the country may never recover.
Read Haaretz subscribers [link:https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-21/ty-article-opinion/.premium/if-gazas-children-starve-israel-will-lose-its-moral-legitimacy-forever/0000018e-5c96-d3c4-a7cf-7dd6e7720000|]
Read Free Link [link:https://archive.is/KXavj|]
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