Starvation and disease being used as weapons of war, Palestinian ambassador to the UK says
Britain and the US are not doing enough to stop Israel using starvation and disease as weapons of war on a scale never seen before in Gaza, Palestine’s senior diplomat in the UK said.
Husam Zomlot, ambassador of the Palestinian mission in the UK, blamed Israel for restricting the entry of aid lorries into Gaza, a claim previously made by international humanitarian organisations.
“Food assistance is only trickling in because [of] Israel’s blockage and preventing access under the pretext of security,” he said at a media conference in London.
He warned “shocking” numbers of people could die of illness such as cancer or kidney failure due to a lack of medical care. “It will only get worse during the cold winter months,” Mr Zomlot said.
“Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza left Palestinians with no choice but to die or leave their lands.
“An entire population has been sentenced to death – or mass expulsion.” He cited figures from the World Health Organisation showing more than 90 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people were facing hunger and malnutrition, with the situation expected to worsen during the winter.
Displaced people have no access to clean water and overcrowded shelters have become a breeding ground for cholera and respiratory illnesses. “These are deliberate policies of starvation and disease used as a weapon of war,” Mr Zomlot said.
He called for an immediate ceasefire and criticised the failure of the international community to enable it.
“Despite this unprecedented man-made humanitarian disaster, we see no serious efforts by the most important international actors to bring about an immediate, sustainable, comprehensive and permanent ceasefire,” he said.
The US and UK were not doing enough to implement resolutions that would bring about a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, he said.
“Either we are serious about these resolutions or the whole foundation of the international system is hollowed out, simply hollowed out,” he said.
“This is the biggest stress test of the international order since its founding in 1940.”
The UK’s position on the war lacked “consistency”, he said.
He highlighted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s criticism of South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, while Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron refused to comment on whether Israel had broken international law.
“This is the selectivity, this is the hypocrisy,” he said. He called on British MPs to take heed of the protests in London calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine,
Mr Zomlot praised South Africa’s case at the ICJ in The Hague, saying it was a step towards accountability.
There was “no way” the ICJ would rule in Israel’s favour, he said. It will be a “defining moment” for international order, Mr Zomlot added.
“Should it fail, I think it would have failed itself, its mandate and the entire rules-based order,” he said.