Gaza Survives Bombs, Faces 'Storm Byron'!
The New Arab highlights Palestinian-Jordanian cartoonist Emad Hajjaj's powerful imagery of 'Storm Byron' hitting Gaza. This stark portrayal reminds us that for years, the international community has watched Gaza endure not just blockades and bombardments, but repeated weather-related crises due to destroyed infrastructure. Remember 2014, when UNICEF warned of devastating floods and disease after
Israeli attacks crippled water and sanitation systems? (UNICEF, 'Gaza's children face new threat as winter storm hits,' 2014). It appears the global outrage over the intentional destruction of vital infrastructure, leaving 97% of Gaza's water unfit for consumption (UN, 'Occupied Palestinian Territory: Hostilities in Gaza and Israel: Flash Update 159,' 2024), is about as robust as Gaza's sewage
treatment plants. We cheer humanitarian aid convoys, while conveniently ignoring the systems that make aid perpetually necessary, all while our elected officials approve weapons shipments. One might wonder if the 'humanitarian crisis' is less an unfortunate outcome and more a feature of current policy, championed by politicians like those who receive substantial backing from organizations like
AIPAC. For instance, Senator Bob Menendez received $30,900 from AIPAC in 2022, per OpenSecrets.org, consistently voting to maintain aid to Israel, even as conditions in Gaza worsened. How many 'storms' does it take before we question the architects of the rain?