So darling - the UN pretends it has "principles" to justify starving Gazans. ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Monday, May 05, 2025

So darling - the UN pretends it has "principles" to justify starving Gazans.

We discussed the Washington Post report about the UN refusing to cooperate with Israel on a plan to bring aid into Gaza in a way that would bypass Hamas. I sarcastically called them "principled."

The UN issued a press release using that exact word:

Statement by the Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory – on principled aid delivery in Gaza
04 May 2025

For nine weeks now, Israeli authorities have blocked all supplies from entering Gaza, no matter how vital to people’s survival. Bakeries have shut. Community kitchens have closed. Warehouses stand empty. Children have gone hungry.

Israeli officials have sought to shut down the existing aid distribution system run by the United Nations and its humanitarian partners and have us agree to deliver supplies through Israeli hubs under conditions set by the Israeli military, once the government agrees to re-open crossings.

The design of the plan presented to us will mean large parts of Gaza, including the less mobile and most vulnerable people, will continue to go without supplies. It contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy.

First of all, if aid is helping an enemy, it is quite legal for one side in a war to withhold aid that might help their enemy gain a military advantage. Article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention says this:

The obligation of a High Contracting Party to allow the free passage of the consignments indicated in the preceding paragraph is subject to the condition that this Party is satisfied that there are no serious reasons for fearing:
a) that the consignments may be diverted from their destination,
b) that the control may not be effective, or
c) that a definite advantage may accrue to the military efforts or economy of the enemy through the substitution of the abovementioned consignments for goods which would otherwise be provided or produced by the enemy or through the release of such material, services or facilities as would otherwise be
required for the production of such goods.

But things get really interesting when you look at how "principled" this position is.

Saudi Arabia and its coalition in Yemen had done everything it could to stop aid from entering Houthi-controlled areas - areas that had lots of civilians. They enforced a naval blockade on Houthi- controlled ports, they bombed Houthi aid infrastructure. It was political above all.

Yet the UN continued to cooperate with the Saudis to bring in aid to the Yemenis who were not Houthi. Even though only a percentage would get the aid, and this directly violates the humanitarian principle of impartial aid, the UN didn't seem to have any "principles" - it (properly) cooperated with the Saudis to bring in aid to the places it could.

Because the real principle is to feed people, even if not all of them can be fed for political reasons.

In the case of Israel, the only party Israel does not want to receive aid is Hamas. It is happy to allow aid to civilians, no matter where. For logistics reasons, it wants to start providing aid to the south because it is easier to set up. It is not "discriminating" against northern and central Gazans, it just wants to get aid to the places it can and expand the program from there.

So spare us your "principles," UN. Israel has blocked aid for nine weeks, it is trying to find a mechanism to bring in aid that keeps its own security needs in mind, and the UN is saying no to aid.

Sort of like the Palestinians themselves refusing peace and a state that does not fit their demands. In that case too, their own people suffer for the "principle" of the matter. Or that they do not ask Lebanon or Syria to give citizenship to their Palestinian residents. They are quite willing to allow their people to suffer for the "principle" of the matter.

It is a pattern.