Israel using hunger as weapon of war, Borrell tells UN

Some 500,000 folks had been “getting ready to hunger” in Gaza as a result of Israel was blocking help vehicles, Borrell stated.

“This is not a pure catastrophe. It isn’t an earthquake or a flood — it is man-made,” he stated.

“I am asking Israel to not impede humanitarian assist to go within the pure manner, which is the street. A whole bunch of vehicles ought to come into Gaza to keep away from the hunger of lots of of hundreds of individuals,” he added.

Borrell, a centre-left Spanish politician, had already accused Israel earlier than of breaking worldwide regulation in Gaza, the place it has thus far killed over 31,000 folks.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch group additionally stated on 18 December Israel was “utilizing hunger of civilians as a way of warfare within the Gaza Strip, which is a warfare crime”.

However the EU top-diplomat’s phrases on Tuesday had been essentially the most particular war-crime allegation he has made.

Borrell additionally broke a taboo in EU diplomacy — that of evaluating Israeli aggression towards Palestinians to Russian aggression towards Ukrainians.

The EU has stated Israeli aggression was justified as a result of Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing round 1,200 Israelis and taking some 250 hostages.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was unprovoked.

However Borrell doubled down on his views additionally within the closing Q&A session of the UNSC occasion.

“Utilizing starvation as a weapon of warfare is a criminal offense and it holds true whether or not we see it in Ukraine or in Gaza,” he stated.

For her half, European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen, a German centre-right politician, was characteristically softer on Israel in a speech on the European Parliament the identical day.

“Now we have all seen the reviews of youngsters dying of hunger. This can’t be,” she stated in Strasbourg on Tuesday, with out blaming Israel.

“Safety of civilians should be ensured always, according to worldwide regulation,” she added, additionally with out referencing Israel.

Von der Leyen referred to as for “a direct humanitarian pause” and spoke of EU efforts to ship meals by sea and air.

However humanitarian teams say the maritime hall will take too lengthy to arrange, whereas air-drops are too small to stop famine.

Far-right ministers within the Israeli authorities have referred to as for ethnic cleaning adopted by Israeli re-settlement in Gaza.

Israel has additionally accused the UN’s main help company for Palestinians, UNRWA, of harbouring terrorists.

The still-unproven accusations noticed a number of UNRWA donors pull funds, placing the company’s future in danger.

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And again on the UNSC, Borrell framed Israel’s strategy to UNRWA within the context of extremist Israeli views on Palestinian refugees.

“UNRWA exists as a result of there are Palestinian refugees and we can’t make the refugees disappear by making UNRWA disappear — they will nonetheless be there,” he stated in New York on Tuesday.

The US and French ambassadors, who additionally spoke, stated little on Gaza.

France voiced assist for the EU to pay out €82m to UNRWA this 12 months, as initially deliberate.

The US envoy, like von der Leyen, spoke of the “immense wants” of the Palestinian folks and of assist “when the violence ends”, with out blaming Israel.

Russian sarcasm?

The UNSC debate had been referred to as by Japan to debate UN-EU cooperation.

The Russian ambassador spoke at size about EU “neocolonialism, Russophobia, impotent anti-Russian rage” and referred to as it an “aggressive, expansionist bloc”.

“It appears he [the Russian ambassador] was sarcastic. I do not know whether or not to chuckle or cry … do any of you are feeling beneath assault by the EU? What number of international locations are we bombing?”, Borrell replied, in a rhetorical query.

Not one of the different UNSC audio system took Russia’s bait.

The Algerian ambassador thanked Borrell for his “brave” phrases on Gaza.

The ambassador of Mozambique referred to as for EU assist in organising elections within the Central African Republic, the place Russia has constructed sturdy affect.

China urged world energy blocs to step again from confrontation. Borrell stated “the EU has nothing towards China as a significant political and financial energy”, in reply.

Borrell and von der Leyen’s divergent UN and European Parliament speeches additionally got here amid Israeli threats to invade Rafah, in southern Gaza — a transfer which may ship civilian casualties even increased and danger regional escalation.

For his or her half, EU leaders purpose to name for a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza at a summit in Brussels on 21 March, in response to a draft summit assertion.

However EU efforts to relax Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aggression, by suspending commerce perks or blacklisting violent Israeli settlers, have stalled, amid EU Fee procedural delays and Hungarian opposition.

France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Romania, who’re main EU arms suppliers to Israel, have additionally declined to talk of an embargo for now.