This essay was published first by
Gulf News on March 18, 2024.اضافة اعلان
Of
all the horrific things that Israel’s war on Gaza has delivered is the sight of
thousands of Palestinians scrambling to get their hands on sacks of flour and
other essential supplies being airdropped from the air or laden on aid trucks
that were allowed to pass safely through Israeli controlled checkpoints.
This
is the worst humanitarian crisis ever witnessed by international relief
organizations in decades. Gaza has become ground zero for millions of starving
people, including babies and children dying from dehydration, malnutrition, and
disease.
More
than five months of systemic devastation of the most crowded enclave in the
world have led to this. More than 80 percent of Gaza’s 2.2 million people are
now displaced. The death toll from Israeli bombing has now surpassed the
chilling 30,000 mark, with more than 60,000 injured and thousands unaccounted
for under the rubble. Israeli strikes have left more than 70 percent of the
infrastructure in ruins.
And
yet Israeli leaders vow to continue with their ground, air, and sea offensive,
brushing off warnings and pleas from the White House, Western leaders, and
international organizations.
The sea bridge between Cyprus and
Gaza
Israel
has denied accusations that it is deliberately hindering the delivery of aid to
Gaza, especially in the north. But the UN and other organizations have provided
evidence that Israel is putting obstacles and changing the rules so that tens
of thousands of tons of aid that is ready to enter through Rafah or
Israeli-controlled crossings do not reach civilians who are in dire need of the
most basic of life-saving food, medicine, and equipment.
Israeli
ministers have openly called on the government not to allow aid trucks to enter
Gaza. Israeli soldiers have opened fire at thousands of Gazans trying to reach
aid trucks, killing hundreds and, in a few instances, destroying these trucks.
Israel
has weaponized humanitarian aid and is using famine as collective punishment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ignored multiple demands by US President
Joe Biden that Israel allow the unfettered flow of aid into Gaza. But on the
ground, the situation is getting worse.
Jordan
has led the way in carrying out several air drops of emergency aid. It was
followed by other countries, including the UAE, Egypt, the UK, France, and,
more recently, the US. However, such airdrops were adopted as a desperate
measure. They were meant to put pressure on Israel, which, as an occupying
power, has a legal responsibility to provide essential services to the people
under its occupation.
Now,
President Biden has decided to operate a sea bridge between Cyprus and Gaza,
where ships would deliver tons of aid through a pier that the US would build in
a few weeks. Some countries have stepped in to collaborate in this endeavor.
Netanyahu has come out to say that the pier was his idea.
Dehumanizing and humiliating
Palestinians
But
while this plan may, in the end, alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,
provided that Israel would not interrupt the distribution of such aid within
the stricken enclave, it also relieves Israel of its responsibility for
creating the humanitarian catastrophe in the first place. Israel has destroyed
hospitals, schools, warehouses, bakeries, and UNRWA distribution centers
precisely to create such a crisis. This is part of its objective to dehumanize
and humiliate the Palestinians. Its record in that regard speaks for itself.
But
more importantly, the sudden shift in the Western government’s attitude towards
the war on Gaza in the past few weeks, especially as the world saw the horrific
pictures of starving Palestinian children and dying malnourished babies, is
also worrying. It presents the situation in Gaza as a purely humanitarian
emergency and turns the Palestinian suffering under occupation into a charity
case.
One
has to remember that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is not a natural
disaster but a man-made one. It is deliberate and premeditated, and it is a
crime against humanity and a war crime.
Yes,
Gazans need sustainable and safe access to basic needs that do not expose them
to humiliation and suffering. But the focus on delivering aid now should not
deflect attention from the fact that the core issue is and has always been
Israeli occupation. That is a political matter, and it is the crux of
everything related to the decades-old suffering of the Palestinians.
The
US and its Western partners should have forced Israel to comply with
international law and to honor its obligations as an occupying power towards
the civilians whose lives it has destroyed. Turning Palestinians into a charity
case is an insult to proud people who are being driven out of their land.
The
Palestinian crisis is one of unending, cruel, and barbaric occupation. Ending
it is what the international community should have done long ago.
Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and
political commentator based in Amman.
Disclaimer:
Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Jordan News' point of view.
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