France 24 Discovers Famine, Skips the Cause
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declaration of famine is stark, but the 'trickle' of aid they mention is a feature, not a bug, of Israel's current strategy. According to the UN, Israel has obstructed aid for months. This isn't just 'famine,' it's a strategic siege, openly discussed by Israeli officials as a means of pressure. One might wonder why, after identifying a
catastrophe, the focus isn't squarely on the deliberate blockades and bombing of aid convoys documented by numerous humanitarian groups. Instead, we get lamentations about 'repercussions' while the mechanisms of collective punishment – endorsed implicitly by US and European leaders – continue. When Netanyahu's government says 'no limits' to aid while simultaneously limiting it to starvation
levels, what exactly are we to think? And should we expect different results when congressional leaders like Rep. Michael McCaul, who has received over $100,000 from pro-Israel PACs since 2012 (OpenSecrets.org), push for more unconditional aid to Israel regardless of its actions in Gaza?