Israel using ‘aid as a weapon of war’: Palestinian UN envoy
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, has been speaking at the Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East.
Here are some of his remarks:
- “There is cruelty in the bombardments, cruelty in the wanton destruction, cruelty in the blockade, and even cruelty in the distribution of very limited aid.”
- “We will be asked, ‘How can you complain about food finally being delivered after having complained about starvation and famine? Isn’t any aid better than no aid at all?'”
- “Who said these should be our choices? A full blockade against an entire civilian population, including 1 million children, depriving them of food, water, medicine, shelter – or a system of aid that is degrading, discriminatory, limited to food and limited in quantity, and which aims at the forcible displacement of the population and at facilitating the unlawful seizing of land.”
- “Do you know how we know this is the objective? Israeli officials are openly telling the world that this is their intention – statement after statement, threat after threat. After seeing starvation being used as a weapon of war, now we see aid being used as a weapon of war. Should we remain silent because the alternative is worse? Or should we stand up for the humanity of Palestinians, of all civilians in any situation of armed conflict?”
- “The images of hungry, desperate people storming out of the cages they were forced into, in order to get aid, is gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. These are people, human beings, deprived of water, food, medicine for so long, and hanging to life by a thread.”
Israeli envoy slams UN aid chief for genocide accusation
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, has opened his address before the Security Council by denouncing last week’s shooting in Washington, DC, that killed two Israeli embassy workers.
Danon said every person in the world who has described Israel as “a genocidal regime” since it began its war on Gaza in October 2023 shares responsibility for the killings.
He attacked Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian chief, for accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. “I have demanded the [retraction] of this baseless and vile accusation, but he has not so far,” Danon told the council.
Israeli officials have routinely lambasted the UN as well as the world’s top human rights groups and other experts for their criticism of Israel’s bombardment, ground operations and blockade of Gaza.
If you have not a single ounce of defense or credibility left, blame everything on others.
