Those airdropping food cannot also be airdropping missiles

What a mad world humanity lives in, where we see the US dropping missiles and bombs through its ally, Israel, on the helpless people of Gaza while, at the same time, we see it airdropping food to the same people. Is this a case of schizophrenia, or swapping roles?

How can this be done by someone who provides Israel with weapons and decisions saying that the war cannot be stopped, then sends its chorus of spokesmen out every night to present the world with justifications, excuses and arguments for the continuation of the war and justifying the continued crushing of children and women in a way that does not haunt them every night, neither due to the magnitude of the heinous crime nor by the continuous groaning but, rather, due to the elections’ indicators?

No positions, meetings, summits, protests, sit-ins or even courts have succeeded in stopping the war, 150 days after it broke out and the reason for this is the US veto and the implicit decision to continue. This approach is accompanied by harmful discourse in which the desperate defence of the Jewish state was repeated, as one of the American spokesmen said, “The US has not observed acts in Gaza that constitute genocide”, then, a few days later, said that there were no signs that Israel is preventing the entry of aid, followed by claims that there are no signs that Israel is targeting children, women and the elderly. There were several claims of the sort, allowing Shlomo to continue what he is doing in the Amalek war he is leading.

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However, as the US presidential election race intensified, positions began to change, to show, albeit dishonestly, an alleged contrast in positions between the US administration and Tel Aviv. Washington also received Netanyahu’s rival, his strongest competitor for the prime minister’s seat, and one of the pillars of his war council, Benny Gantz. US Vice-President made a statement a few days ago, specifically on 3 March, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, noting: “We saw hungry, desperate people approach aid trucks simply trying to secure food for their family after weeks of barely any aid reaching northern Gaza, and they were met with gunfire and chaos.” This is coming from the heart of the White House, which is saying that Israel is hindering the flow of aid, and that the US will continue to airdrop food to the starving Gazans, using all methods to deliver food. How strange!

So, the simple question remains: Why don’t you stop the flow of weapons and support if you are actually concerned over the harming of innocent people in Gaza and the West Bank, instead of being concerned with remaining in power? Also, so that the Palestinian aftershocks do not reach your ballot boxes, allowing Gaza to contribute to the overthrow of the Democrats in favour of their rival, Trump? Enough, for God’s sake! Enough mocking the free people of the world and our people in wounded Palestine. The play has become ridiculous, your matters have become scandalous, and the role of fighters in serving and defending the Occupation has become clear to both young and old in Palestine and around the world. Enough disregard and under-estimation of the entire world, as dropping bombs and dropping food cannot go hand in hand. Those who want to show compassion to the poor who are waiting to satisfy their hunger, and the hunger of their children, must first stop killing them with their words and their actions. “Death for food” is an equation that no one would accept, and no one would be convinced of it, regardless how much some try to whitewash and refine it. The cold, harsh, and shocking reality is that partial humanity cannot be tolerated. Only humanity full of action, honesty and credibility can. Did they receive the message? We will wait and see.

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This article appeared in Arabic in Al-Quds on 8 March, 2024. 

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.