Does the Western World really want to starve Palestine?

Written By: - Date published: 3:43 pm, January 30th, 2024 - 17 comments
Categories: helen clark, International, israel, national, Palestine, same old national, uncategorized - Tags:

Israel has responded to the International Court of Justice’s urging that it take all steps necessary to prevent acts of genocide, ensure the provision of basic services and essential humanitarian aid, prevent the destruction of evidence and report on measures it has taken to address the findings with a bombshell of its own.

It has alleged that UN Relief and Works Agency workers were actively supporting Hamas and some of them had taken part in the atrocities on Israeli soil on October 7.

Twelve workers of the predominately local workforce of 13,000 were said to be involved.

The allegations initially made me wonder if this was yet another example of Israel seeing Hamas everywhere it looks.

Perhaps there is something in the allegation.  But having 0.01% of your workforce being a member of a local organisation albeit one dedicated to the violent overthrow of the Israeli state did not seem to be very unusual.  Particularly when you consider that the residents of Gaza have had to tolerate for so many decades.

And the head of the UNRWA took immediate steps to address the issue.  The identified people were fired and the various agencies have been informed about what has happened.

Western nations also acted quickly.  As well as opposing a ceasefire in Gaza and continuing to support Israel they also took steps to ensure that urgent aid required to stop Palestinians from starving to death was withheld.

And New Zealand to its shame has today decided to follow suit.

This morning Helen Clark praised the Government for not blindly following the United States and Australia and other nations into the withholding of aid.

From Radio New Zealand:

Former prime minister Helen Clark, who led the UN Development Programme which oversees UNRWA, told Morning Report it was the biggest platform for getting humanitarian aid into Gaza for a populations that is 85 percent displaced, with people on the verge on starvation and going without medical supplies.

“If you’re going to defund and destroy this platform, then the misery and suffering of the people under bombardment can only increase and you can only have more deaths.”

Clark said it was “most regrettable that countries have acted in this precipitous way to defund the organisation on the basis of allegations”.

She did not deny the allegations made were serious, but said defunding the agency without knowing the outcome of the investigation was not the right decision.

“I led an organisation that had tens of thousands of people on contracts at any one time. Could I say, hand on heart, people never did anything wrong? No I couldn’t. But what I could say was that any allegations would be fully investigated and results made publicly known.

“That’s exactly what the head of UNRWA has said, it’s what the Secretary General’s saying, that process is underway, but this is not a time to be just cutting off the funding because a small minority of UNRWA staff face allegations.”

In the meantime, people could starve to death or die because they did not receive the medication they needed, Clark said.

But justification for her praise was short lived as the Government decided to hold funding until a review is completed by Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

She has described any decision to withhold aid as callous and simply outrageous.  She is correct.  Some of the same nations that continue to supply the Israelis with weapons despite all that has happened are willing to immediately shut off urgently required humanitarian aid.

If only the same test was applied by Western Nations about the supply of munitions to Israel.  They should halt the export of all munitions until it can be shown by Israel that they will not be used in the killing of innocent men women and children.  Just to add a semblance of balance to what is happening in the Middle East.

17 comments on “Does the Western World really want to starve Palestine? ”

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  1. Tiger Mountain 1
    30 January 2024 at 3:57 pm

    The Israeli butchers are master spin artists. This is likely a diversion to try and bury the ICJ findings from public awareness and debate. Why just take Israel’s word for the allegation?

    What type of psychopaths turn off water, food, fuel and power to a civilian population and then knee cap the primary aid organisation? The gutless western Govt.s and the EU that have participated in this should be filling up planes and boats with aid and crashing the Gaza blockade to assist the Palestinians–but they won’t will they…shameful behaviour.

  2. SPC 2
    30 January 2024 at 7:44 pm

    Israeli opinion

    The bad and downright ugly – this all male gathering of the most self-entitled on earth, represents a minority of Israelis. So called Religious (ultra-right wing nationalists common in most countries) Zionists no one else in Israel, other than Likud, would work with.

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/12-ministers-call-to-resettle-gaza-encourage-gazans-to-leave-at-jubilant-conference/?utm_campaign=most_popular&utm_source=website&utm_medium=article_end&utm_content=6

    This is a result of a poll of all Israelis in December

    According to the Hebrew University poll, around 23% of Israelis support a coalition of moderate Arab states overseeing affairs in Gaza in the immediate postwar period, while 22% are in favor of Israeli military rule and 18% would like to see an international force take charge of the territory. A further 18% leaned toward the idea of Israel annexing Gaza, while only 11% expressed support for the return of the Palestinian Authority.

    40% want either annexation or IDF military presence as in WB. And something international 41% and 11% the PA.

    Given world opposition to ethnic cleansing, there is the IDF, whose reputation and good-standing would be a vital pre-requisite, the chances of that is being determined by the ICJ examining Gallant's third rodeo with dahiya doctrine in Gaza.

    All that is left is world support for the PA having administrative status in the 67 territories post 1993.

    So it looks like the IDF stays, until they don't.

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/majority-of-israelis-oppose-annexation-resettlement-of-gaza-poll/

    The good, well the last time Gallant did this in Gaza, after the IDF withdrew, 1000 Hamas prisoners were exchanged for a soldier captured before it all began.

    An overwhelming 67% of Israelis are in favor of a hostage exchange that would bring about a ceasefire, a Maariv poll published on Thursday found.

    https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-779121

  3. SPC 3
    30 January 2024 at 8:04 pm

    Look on the bright side, those delivering the aid and those gathering to receive the aid are less likely to be hit by munitions, or the nails of a helicopter drone.

    While Israel is not responsible for how much aid other nations give, any consequent hardship to those in Gaza (from a decline of delivery) consequent from UNRWA not receiving funding will reflect badly on the nation if it does not make up the shortfall itself.

    It is the one expected to abide by the interim decision to ensure the well being of the Gaza civilians – something their own appointed judge agreed with.

    PS The decision is posturing – the $M is a one off payment due in/by June.

  4. theotherpat 4
    1 February 2024 at 4:51 pm

    i would like to use several words that would have me banned for life about Israel…..South Africa is succesful in the U.N's highest court so Israels airline won't fly there anymore…..the Genocidal bastards a.k.a as Israel "say" UNRWA employees are complicit in the attacks….well 12 of 13000 employees ….whats that in a percentage???….oh right fuck all and where is the proof???…..

    more war mongering by zionist butchers and complicit NATO members who make armaments and to achieve what??

  5. Anker 5
    1 February 2024 at 5:24 pm

    I just want to clarify something if anyone has the info. Have we stopped our current aid as of now? Or was the Govt just saying it wouldn't commit more money in the next budget until the situation with the UN agency was cleared up?

    Will continue to reseach myself, but had thought it was the latter and then unable to find link

    • SPC 5.1
      1 February 2024 at 5:35 pm

      We pay $1M once a year, it is due by the end of June this year (allocated in the current budget).

      Luxon said it was suspended – until Peters had done a review because of pressure on us to follow the others overseas.

      The USA only suspended payments but that is on going through the year.

  6. Anker 6
    2 February 2024 at 9:56 am

    So SPC thanks so much for answering.

    Does this mean the funding is still going through?

    I will do some research