By Simon Mabon
In the past two months, more than 1,000 people seeking food have been killed, according to the UN Human Rights Office. While the figure has been disputed by Israel and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which was set up to distribute aid, 28 nations this week condemned the “horrifying” killing of Gazans trying to get food.
As the Israel Defense Forces continues its assault in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, including an attack on the staff residence of the World Health Organization on July 21, UN bodies are warning that the besieged strip’s last lifelines are collapsing.
Already around 60,000 Gazans have been killed and growing numbers are now dying from hunger and malnutrition, according to the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry. More than 90% of the private homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
For all the talk of a ceasefire – one that is long overdue – there is little hope. Israeli military operations continue and Gazans must risk their lives in search of food and aid.
Malnutrition is rife. According to the IPC’s report in May – the international organisation that monitors food security – “goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks” with nearly 500,000 people considered to be facing “catastrophe”, with a further 1.1 million in an “emergency” risk category.
For the IPC, the catastrophe category is one of extreme food shortages, critical malnutrition leading to starvation and high death rates. The emergency category is one of severe food shortages, very high malnutrition and even death.
Israeli officials continue to speak of moving Gazans into what has been termed a “humanitarian city” but what former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert described as a “concentration camp”. In the same interview Olmert called decision to move Gazans into the camp as “ethnic cleansing”.
All the while, the world’s leaders look on. Most are apparently content to condemn – but little action has been taken.
The clamour for Israel’s allies to take a harder stance on its actions in Gaza is growing louder by the day. On July 23, a group of 38 former EU ambassadors published an open letter to EU heads of states and senior officials accusing Israel of taking “calculated steps towards ethnic cleansing” and calling out the EU’s failure to “respond meaningfully to these horrific events”.
But what do actions look like? Pressure must be applied to the Netanyahu government. In the UK, both prime minister Keir Starmer and foreign minister David Lammy have been quick to stress that the UK has urged Israel to respect international law.
They point to the sanctions the UK has imposed on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two rightwing ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, as a result of their repeated incitements of violence against Palestinians. While Lammy suggests that further sanctions could follow if Israel does not change its behaviour in Gaza and bring about an end to the suffering, the atrocities continue.
Practical steps to pressure Israel
Pressure is growing on the UK government to recognise Palestine as a state – something that I was told by a contact in the Labour government more than a year ago was on Labour’s agenda before October 7. Lammy insists the government is committed to a two-state solution, but this is not diplomatically viable given that the UK only recognises one state involved in these events.
The state of Palestine is recognised as a sovereign entity by 147 other members of the UN. That’s 75% of all members.
Other steps could be a full arms embargo, something that has long been called for but rejected by the UK government, which has banned some, but by no means all arms sales to Israel. A number of countries have properly banned arms sales to Israel since October 2023, including Italy, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and Japan.
There are other more incendiary options. One would be for the UK and others to properly adhere to their obligations under international law.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November 2024. There are 125 countries that have signed up to the ICC (the US isn’t one of them). They could arrest Netanyahu if he enters their countries.
There are a range of other things that could be tried. A look at what the international community did to make South Africa a pariah during the later years of apartheid would be worthwhile.
EU should use its diplomatic muscle
As Israel’s biggest trading partner, the EU has the potential to wield considerable clout, so the question must be asked: why has so little been done, beyond mere words.
In June, the EU found Israel to be in breach of its human rights commitments under the terms of the EU-Israel association agreement. Yet to date there have been as yet no moves to suspend trade.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief declared that “all options remain on the table if Israel doesn’t deliver” on its pledges. These include full or partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, sanctions on members of government, military or settlers, trade measures, arms embargoes, or the suspension of academic cooperation – including the prestigious Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme.
Of course, getting all 27 member states to agree to such an approach is easier said than done. And national leaders will obviously have to consider that taking steps to put pressure with Israel could damage relations with the Trump administration in the US.
But all the while, the situation on the ground is deteriorating, with the world watching while Gaza burns. The failure by Israel’s allies to take meaningful steps to pressure Israel to prevent the wanton killing and displacement is a stain on humanity.
After the horrors of the second world war, Rwanda, Myanmar and Srebrenica, the world said “never again”. Without action, there’s a risk it will shrug its shoulders and say “never mind”.
Simon Mabon is Professor of International Relations at Lancaster University.
Pogo says
@Simon Mabon is — a — Professor of International Relations at Lancaster University
… and able polemicist.
Tomorrow will be Tuesday.
https://www.google.com/search?q=polemicist
BillC says
At least now the world knows what a pathetic degenerate liar Netanyahu is. Despite daily reporting and scenes of mass starvation Netanyahu insists ” There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza.” Then again, lying is nothing new to Netanyahu. In 2019, he was indicted in Jerusalem District Court on charges of breach of trust, bribery and fraud.
R.S. says
The US could stop Israel instantly if we’d stop the delivery of weapons and the generous support of that state. In fact, the US has invested in more than $60 million in Israel bonds; nationwide by municipalites and states, more than $3billion; Florida alone, $250 million. That’s our tax money supporting the genocide in Gaza and the settler colonialism in the West Bank. And we’ve not arrested Netanyahu–as the International Criminal Court has required; instead, we’ve rolled out the red carpet for that war criminal and have sanctioned the judges of the ICC instead. What an insane world we live in!!!
Kennan says
Anthony Aguilar, a Green Beret and volunteer with the” shadowy”Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has seen enough. Aguilar quit when he continued to see American soldiers and Israel, defense forces shooting Palestinians coming for food. Food that has been completely blocked for the better part of this almost 2 year HOLOCAUST . There are four major sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Front, which is set up to corral Palestinians looking for food. It was set up to replace the UN food delivery.(keeping in mind food from the UN was previously blocked) The GHF is a private organization made up of US soldiers(mercenaries) and the IDF. Over 1000 civilians, men, women, and children have been shot and killed at these sites. Also many other civilians going for food in other sites over the last year.
Anthony Aguilar was a subcontractor with the GHF aid delivery operation. He resigned from his position with UG solutions. A subcontractor with GHF. Aguilar served for 25 years as a Green Beret and was a lieutenant colonel. Aguilar served at all four delivery sites and described Gaza as dystopian. He described the delivery sites as death traps, but also that they were designed that way on purpose.
Benjamin Netanyahu says that Hamas is trying to steal food, which is a lie. There is absolutely no evidence of that. Not a grain of rice has been stolen, but not a grain of rice has been delivered by Israel either. *Now net and yahoo and Israel deny starvation is even happening. All the wild, the bombing campaigns at hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and the like: continue unfettered. Building the GHF sites in active combat zones while people are starving is a violation of Geneva convention protocols as well as a violation of human rights as a hole. The fencing in of these areas are made with razor wire! Razor wire!!!
US mercenaries as well as IDF soldiers, caring assault rifles knowing they will shoot civilians. Americans popping off rounds and saying things like.: “ I think you got one”, and “yah boy”!
Anthony Aguilar is interviewed on Democracy Now talking about all of it. None of this is surprising to me, but I suspect it may illuminate some of you living in La La Land.
There is absolute and undeniable evidence everywhere, but mainstream corporate media says very little about it. CNN, MSNBC, Fox, as well as other media Giants are beholden to Jewish lobbies that pay them and 80% of Congress to saturate the country in.” pro-Israeli narratives.”. At all cost. They do it in vain. The wall is crumbling yet they stay the course and sit in a sinking ship.
The United States and its Nazi cohort Israel are conducting the biggest crime of the century right before our eyes, and then have the audacity to tell us we don’t know what we are seeing. The death toll on Palestinians conflated with Hamas is 100 times the number killed on October 7. That was bad enough. 100 October 7ths. The death toll is way higher than 60,000, but again….. That’s bad enough.
The intellectual laziness of so many that watch Fox in particular, but also other corporate prostitutes like CNN MSNBC, CBS and others only further discourse by denying reality for a buck.
Now I can give you historical relevance and facts upon facts about the Middle East, the Napa, 1948, 1967, the first intifada of 1987, Israeli operations over the years, subjugation, calorie, restricted diets, Israel, settlers stealing homes in the West Bank, but FUCK IT! Here we are witnessing hell today. Enough!! If what we see has to be explained almost Two years later?
I don’t wanna hear anymore about cease-fire. That was always a lie in the wake of the “Greater Israel “ Reality we see taking place right now. These poor men, women, and mostly children don’t stand a chance when Israelis are giving boat tours so that people can watch the bombing of Gaza and cheer. Israeli girls taking selfies while just a few kilometers away: Smoke is looming after another IDF bombing of a school or hospital in Gaza.
Our country doesn’t have a chance when our leaders that are supposed to represent us are bribed by Israel.
All the grossly demonized protesters going out, pushing back against all this inhumanity, are doing the most foundational and American thing you can do. Something this country was built on. They are infinitely more patriotic than Trump’s.” Billionaire Boys Club”, And quite frankly, the Democrats and Republicans that are taking 1,000,000+ a year in American Israeli, political action committee money.
I can only say that I’m a human being before I’m an American. I’m a human being before I’m a democrat or republican. Anyone who thinks this is OK to do in the name of our country and its flag? Well…. You should have your” Patriot card” Revoked. You should pull your flag off the front of your house, truck, or T-shirt. Lay it on the ground. Slap yourself in the face 10 times while you say,” I’m a racist”.
Foresee says
Lancaster University is ranked #10 in the UK.
Tomorrow will be Wednesday
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/supercilious
Pogo says
@People who run the tap
… in the bathroom so others shan’t hear them pee — say the darndest foreseeable things.
Everyday.
Ray W, says
And this out of Russia.
Kirill Strelnikov wrote an opinion piece for Russian state-run media outlet RIA Novosti titled: “There is no other option: no one should be left alive in Ukraine.”
In the body of the article, Strelnikov referred to Ukrainian soldiers as “laboratory rats” and he denied their humanity. He added that there is “no need for lacy underwear for the dead.”
Make of this what you will.
Pogo says
@Who is aligned with Russia?
Choose — and live with it.