In the worst conditions imaginable – after hurricanes, earthquakes, bombings and shootings – the best of humanity manifests itself. Not once in a while, always.
The seven members of the World Central Kitchen mission in Gaza who were killed on Monday were the best of humanity. Not people without faces or names. Not generic aid workers or collateral damage from war.
Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, John Chapman, Jacob Flickinger, Zomi Frankcom, James Henderson, James Kirby and Damian Sobol put their lives at risk to perform the most basic human activity: sharing food with others.
Alongside them I served in Ukraine, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, Indonesia, Mexico, Gaza and Israel. They were much more than heroes.
Their work was based on the simple belief that food is a universal human right. Which regardless of being good or bad, rich or poor, left or right. We don’t ask you what religion you belong to. We just ask how many meals you need.
From day one we have fed Israelis and Palestinians. Throughout Israel we have served more than 1,750,000 hot meals. We fed families displaced by Hezbollah rockets in the north of the country. We fed grieving families from the South of the country. We delivered meals to hospitals where freed hostages were reunited with their families. We have continuously, repeatedly and forcefully called for the release of all hostages.
The turning point of the mea culpa
by Enrico Franceschini
As we did so, we communicated frequently with Israeli army and civilian officials. At the same time, we have worked closely with community leaders in Gaza and with Arab nations in the region. There is no other way if you want to get a ship full of food to Gaza.
This is how we were able to serve more than 43 million meals, that we prepared hot meals in 68 community kitchens in Gaza, kitchens where Palestinians fed Palestinians.
We know the Israelis. Israelis, deep down, know that food is not a weapon of war.
Israel is much better than the way this war is being waged. You know that civilian access to food and medicine should not be blocked. You know that humanitarian workers who have agreed their movements with the Israeli Defense Forces should not be killed.
The long attack from above, the three deadly missiles and yet another IDF mistake: what happened to the World Central Kitchen convoy
by Daniele Raineri
The Israeli government must open more land routes for the entry of food and medicine today. It must stop killing civilians and aid workers today. The long path towards peace must begin today.
In the worst conditions, after suffering the worst terrorist attacks in its history, it is time for Israel to show its best side. You cannot save the hostages by bombing every single building in Gaza. This war cannot be won by starving an entire population.
We welcome the promise made by the government to conduct an investigation to establish who and how killed some members of the World Central Kitchen family. The investigation must start from the top, not just from the bottom.
The prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, regarding the killing of our team by the Israelis, he said: “These things happen in war.” This was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known to the Israeli Defense Forces.
It was also the direct result of choices that forced humanitarian workers to work in desperate conditions. Our team had just collected around 400 tons of aid that had arrived by sea. Our second shipment, financed by United Arab Emirateswith the support of Cyprus and the approval of the Israeli Defense Forces.
Diary from Gaza – The attack on Wck was not a mistake. That NGO is vital, my family also lives with their meals
di Sami al-Ajrami
The team members put their lives at risk because food aid is very rare and desperately needed. According to the global Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative, half of Gaza’s population – 1,100,000 people – is at risk of famine. The team would not have had to make that move if enough food had arrived by land, in trucks, to feed the people of Gaza.
The peoples of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, beyond their ethnic or religious affiliation, share a culture that considers food as a great testimony of humanity and hospitality, a symbol of our shared hope for a better future.
There’s a reason why, at this time of year, Christians make Easter eggs, Muslims eat an egg during iftar, and there’s an egg on the Pesach Seder plate. The egg, spring symbol of the rebirth of life and hope, transcends religions and cultures.
I have been a guest at Seder dinners. I have listened to the ancient stories that tell of foreigners in the land of Egypt and serve to remind us – over a banquet – that the children of Israel were once slaves.
Feeding strangers is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. The people of Israel must remember, in this dark hour, how true strength is demonstrated.
Spanish chef José Andrés is the founder of the NGO World Central Kitchen
— Translation by Alessandra Neve
©the new york times 2024
#José #Andrés #hero #volunteers #died #share #food
– 2024-04-04 04:44:05
