Louis Bassets said that Gaza is drowning in death and hunger (Reuters)
A Spanish writer in the newspaper "El Pais" accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war in the Gaza Strip, of procrastinating in responding to ceasefire demands, and of clinging to storming the Rafah area despite international pressure.
In an opinion article entitled “Hunger is a Weapon of War,” Louis Bassets wrote that Gaza is drowning in death and hunger in a war that has diversified and mixed Israeli patterns of terror, from the siege and electronic warfare to the drip of humanitarian aid to increase pressure on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
Bassitis wondered if there was anyone in the US administration who could persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change his position after he turned a deaf ear to calls for a ceasefire.
The Spanish writer said that Netanyahu is not responding to the demands to stop the war called for by US President Joe Biden and senior members of his administration, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. He also ignored the calls of European officials, humanitarian relief organizations, and international institutions, including the organization Food and Agriculture (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and of course the General Assembly and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Guterres during his visit to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing a few days ago (Reuters)
Support is declining
Bassets said that it is clear that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war, as condemned by European Union foreign policy official Josep Borrell, and that everyone has stopped supporting it unconditionally with the exception of former US President Donald Trump, who accuses those of his democratic opponents who condemn it of anti-Semitism, including And especially the Jews.
According to the writer, Netanyahu does not care about all of this and clings to storming the Rafah area. If he has not done so yet, it is because of the negotiations to release detainees in Gaza and the truce talks, which he categorically refuses to make permanent.
The Spanish writer added that the ceasefire, if it occurs, will increase the pressure on Netanyahu to abandon the idea of marching on the last area that Israeli forces have not yet entered in the Gaza Strip, but if the truce talks collapse, on the other hand, he will immediately begin the storming operation for which he claims to have prepared in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. In an area overcrowded with residents and the influx of displaced people.
Bassitis considered the Israeli claim of wanting to protect the population ridiculous, and recalled that the last five months have proven that the fate of these people is not the Israeli Prime Minister’s top priority.
American embarrassment
Bassits says that President Biden is now publicly expressing his embarrassment at Israeli intransigence, in light of American public opinion that is aware of what is happening in the Gaza Strip, and in light of imminent presidential elections.
He added that Biden knows that Netanyahu only has military goals, and does not have a political strategy for Gaza. He does not want the Palestinian National Authority to manage the Strip, nor does he want a role for the United Nations and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). He rejects the two-state solution, and many fear that his silence is a prelude to the implementation of the plan. Proposals of his extremist ruling partners who wish to expel the Palestinians from Gaza and control it completely.
Bassitis concluded his article by considering that Netanyahu is adept at what has become an Israeli specialty par excellence, which is the game of buying time, which has so far allowed, for example, the continuation of the occupation of Palestinian lands. He is thus waiting for more favorable conditions for Israel, such as if former US President Donald Trump returns to power.
Source: Spanish El Pais