Jerusalem. Israel’s Western allies have condemned comments by Israel’s far-right finance minister, who suggested that causing starvation among Gaza’s population of more than two million “might be just and moral” until hostages captured in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel return home.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a speech on Monday that Israel has no choice but to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“In today’s global reality, it is not possible to manage a war – no one will allow us to starve two million people, although this may be just and moral until they return the hostages,” he told a conference in support of Jewish settlements.
Smotrich, a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, supports the reoccupation of Gaza, the rebuilding of Jewish settlements removed in 2005 and what he describes as the voluntary migration of large numbers of Palestinians out of the territory.
The European Union on Wednesday condemned his comments, stressing that “deliberate deprivation of food to civilians is a war crime.”
The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, called the comments “beyond ignominious” and said “this demonstrates, once again, his contempt for international law and the basic principles of humanity.”
David Lammy, Britain’s new foreign secretary, said there could be “no justification for Minister Smotrich’s comments”.
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– 2024-08-12 06:26:21
