We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for humanitarian aid into Gaza.....In Gaza, the humanitarian operation has become unnecessarily impossible due to:- The ongoing siege,- Hurdles from Israeli authorities,- Political decisions to restrict the amounts of aid,- Lack of safety on aid routes and- Targeting of local police.The responsibility of protection of aid workers + supplies is with the State of Israel as the occupying power.They must ensure aid flows into Gaza safely & must refrain from attacks on humanitarian workers.
Notice that all five reasons given blame Israel. Hamas and the armed gangs who steal food are nott mentioned as the problem - they are an inevitable consequence of Israeli actions. (This of course is bigotry - Lazzarini is saying that Gazans naturally steal.)
An UNRWA Director of Logistics for Gaza, Miranda Barakat, just toured an empty UNRWA warehouse in southern Gaza and she gave her own impressions of the problems for Arabic-speaking audiences.
She didn't mention Israel once.
Instead, she said that the reason the warehouse is empty is due to the danger felt by workers in transporting goods from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the warehouses as a result of the current security situation. She admitted that UNRWA has 700 lorries inside the crossing waiting to be picked up.
She said the thieves don't only take the goods but also steal the batteries and tires of the trucks.
Barakat properly blamed the thieves, not Israel. She said that those who deliberately steal aid trucks do not only aim to steal, but also to sabotage, disable and take them out of service, at a time when it is impossible to find replacement spare parts due to the war.
While she doesn't directly blame Hamas, it seems apparent that only Hamas would be interested in the batteries and tires to keep their own logistics running. The armed gangs would want to ensure that the aid keeps coming; disabling trucks hurts their entire business model.
It is still striking that the constant blaming of Israel alone is rhetoric meant for the West. Gazans know that Israel is bringing the goods to Gaza and the problems start there.
|
Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424. Read all about it here! |
|
