Israel should stop using food as weapon

THE EDITOR, Madam:

We are writing in response to a letter to the editor published October 17, ‘The right to food has far-reaching impact’, espousing the uncontradictable fact that access to food is a basic human right.

Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights lists food and medical care as common standards to be achieved by all nations in a dignified manner, universally protected and “provided on a permanent basis at global and regional levels”.

We must denounce when food is used as a weapon of war. Purposefully punishing vulnerable populations such as displaced Palestinians in refugee camps, already starving under a brutal 75-year military occupation, without free and ready access to the waters or land they have fished and farmed for the entirety of their history, an unconscionable, unacceptable breach of international law.

The Food and Agriculture Organization states damage to food sources in Gaza is unprecedented. Israel restricts food into Palestine. Amnesty International reports it wilfully destroys water systems, limits access to water and even prohibits harvesting rainwater! 78 per cent of crop land has been damaged, almost all fishing boats and capacity rendered non-functional; 95 per cent of cattle and 99 per cent of poultry have died.

Winter will bring inevitable famine, with 1.1 million Palestinians facing “catastrophic levels of hunger”. It is estimated that 43 per cent of Palestinians are children; there would be resultant disaster of generational proportions.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states Israel deliberately denies food aid to Gaza, allowing only 159 of the required daily minimum 500 food trucks. They crippled the organisation by banning its life-saving operations.

The occupying power Israel is legally obligated to provide for the basic needs of the occupied population. Israel’s illegal actions of food deprivation must stop. Targeted killing of humanitarian workers and wilful destruction of its buildings and infrastructure must be viewed with contempt. What the Journal of Genocide Research terms ‘Israel’s weaponisation of starvation’ is a heinous crime against humanity.

Signatories to the Geneva Convention, Israel must be accountable to International Law. Human Rights Watch states that the ICJ’s January 2024 ruling to desist from obstructing the entry of lifesaving food and medical aid into Gaza was ignored.

We call upon the Israeli diplomatic representatives to use their influences with Israel to stop them using food and water as a weapon of war. Food – the very thing that the letter to the editor claims to hold dearly as a basic right.

Persons of conscience must ensure sustainable pathways for food aid delivery to the most vulnerable human beings.

Silence is complicity. And we welcome this opportunity to build a better, more peaceful world, through our voices for reason, decency and equality.

JAMAICA FOR HUMANITY