David Miliband on famine in Gaza
JVL Introduction
David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee, talks to Christiane Amanpour about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He paints the starkest of pictures about the situation in Gaza, pointing out that one million people are at level 5, famine level. The entire 2.2 million people in Gaza – the rest at level 4 (emergency) and level 3 (crisis) – literally do not know where their next meal is coming from.
“The million who are at risk of famine, imminent risk of famine in level 5 represent the fastest degradation, the fastest acceleration in a hunger crisis that’s ever been seen.”
The crisis the people of Gaza face is that if the fighting doesn’t get them, then famine or the public health emergency that is lurking underneath, will.
The amount of aid that went in in February was apparently half of what went in in January…
Foreign Secretary David Cameron is well aware of the situation as made clear by him in a letter to Alice Kearns, Tory MP and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee – see below after the Miliband video.
RK
Added 23rd March: a video of Israeli civilians, with the support of the army and police, successfully blocking the aid convoys in breach of international law.
David Miliband on CNN with Christiane Amanpour
And here is Alice Kearns, Tory MP and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Grateful to @David_Cameron for such clarity in his response to my letter. He confirms, contrary to some claims:
– The UN has NOT requested the Kerem Shalom crossing be closed on Saturdays. Israel closes it due to the Sabbath.
– Aid not getting into Gaza due to “arbitrary… https://t.co/DTP0Vl5Ohz pic.twitter.com/cvrmdwRhOi
— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) March 21, 2024
It is NOT a famine. There is plenty of food available. It is a starvation – effectively an act of GENOCIDE.
Alicia Kearns who leads the Foreign Affairs Select committee has suggested the Foreign Secretary may make a decision soon on arms sales to Israel, not before time. He has been blustering for a long time, now after being warned of his complicity in war crimes, he is changing his tune.
Peter Oborne in a article in early January lambasted Cameron over his fawning attitude towards Israel, with this exchange with the SNP’s Brendan O’Hara.
“Cameron was out of his depth. At one point Cameron actually appeared to accept that Israel was committing war crimes when he said: “One of the things we’d like the Israelis to do is switch the water back on”- an implicit acceptance that Israel had turned the water off.
Scottish National Party MP Brendan O’Hara, Cameron’s biggest tormentor, asked him whether he had received advice from foreign office lawyers that Israel was in breach of international humanitarian law.
It is inconceivable to me that any foreign office lawyer could or would have advised that Israel’s actions fall within international law
This exchange makes for painful viewing. Cameron ducked and dived, dodged the question, answered other questions he had not been asked, and claimed not to remember what advice he’d received from officials.
But O’Hara stuck to his task and eventually the wretched Cameron stated, on the record and in front of the cameras, that he had not been advised that Israel’s actions were in breach of international humanitarian law.
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of this exchange at a time when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is considering whether Israel is committing Genocide in Gaza.
And I find it hard to believe the foreign secretary’s protestations.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-war-sunak-tories-starmer-labour-merged-single-pro-war-party
Our politicians are gaslighting us. Of course Israel are deliberately stopping essential food, water, medicines and other life saving aid getting to the people of Gaza and we are watching this horrendous act of war while basically being told there’s nothing that can be done.