The Israeli finance minister is quoted as saying that he regrets not being able to starve the two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Berlin and Paris react with outrage.
The German Foreign Office and the French Foreign Ministry have condemned statements by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in which he regrets the food aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and describes starvation as morally justified. “These are completely unacceptable and outrageous statements by the Israeli Finance Minister. We reject them in the strongest possible terms,” said a spokesman for the German Foreign Office in Berlin.
“It is a commandment of humanity and a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law that even in war, civilians must be protected and, for example, given access to water and food,” said the spokesman.
According to Israeli media reports, Smotrich had commented on the international situation in his country and described a blockade of aid supplies until all hostages were released as moral and justified, even if this meant the starvation of two million people in the Gaza Strip. But the international community would not allow this, said Smotrich.
Arrest warrants requested against Israel’s rulers
The Paris Foreign Ministry spoke of “scandalous statements” and called on the Israeli government to “strongly condemn these unacceptable statements”. “France recalls that the provision of humanitarian aid to two million civilians who find themselves in an absolute emergency situation in a territory under blockade and whose access points are controlled by Israel is an obligation under international humanitarian law, as the International Court of Justice has recalled.”
When asked whether the Federal Government saw this as a “genocidal intent” or assessed these statements in this way, the Foreign Office spokesman said he was sure “that the statements were also being followed very closely in The Hague, where these kinds of issues are being discussed.”
Netanyahu Cabinet
Yes-men, fanatics, agitators – these right-wing minds are behind Israel’s judicial reform
On May 21, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague requested arrest warrants against Netanyahu and other Israelis. They are accused, among other things, of being responsible for starving civilians as a method of warfare, as well as for arbitrary killings and targeted attacks on civilians.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
