Stop Starvation
Over the weekend, Tel Aviv allowed a ribbon of aid into Gaza, no doubt following a smattering of political actions last week amid growing global condemnation of its starving of Palestinians. Rising anger in France over visuals coming out of Gaza of harrowed hungry children pushed Macron to make Paris the first UNSC member that will recognise Palestinian state formally in Sept. Though he failed to get fellow G7ers Britain and Canada to back him, his announcement sparked some hopes from the July 28-30 UN conference on Israel-Palestine to be co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris. India must put its weight behind global measures towards stopping the war and settling the Palestine question. Several nations are also exploring declarations of recognition – Israeli expansion into West Bank and its unrelenting offensive in Gaza has made it hard to see Palestine become a geographical reality. As noted for months, Netanyahu's blockades on food, fuel and medicine have made it evident that the aim was not only return of hostages, but forced displacement of Palestinian population.
This isn't the first time Israel has limited entry of food into Gaza as part of its war plans. What has been stark this time around is that it has paid no heed to its own red lines – allowing basic minimum into Gaza to avoid a malnutrition catastrophe. Netanyahu with Washington's support this time erased any such restraining line. Apart from almost 60,000 Palestinians killed, including at least 17,400 children, Palestinian health ministry says 122 died due to starvation, including 83 children. Visuals of kids in queues, skinny arms outstretched to fill plastic and aluminium bowls, crying, bawling, deadened, shoving and jostling, have left none unmoved. UN's World Food Programme estimates 1 in 3 people in Gaza doesn't get to eat for days at a time. There's no normalising such war excesses as 'collateral damage'. The world cannot afford to fail in getting Israel to stop weaponising food.
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This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
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