Because there isn’t a coherent starvation tactic. The same Israeli government that has members talking about limiting aid to Palestinians is also having Israeli officers inspect aid trucks at the Egyptian border and letting them through (Egypt and Israel jointly administer the crossing and Israel has the last word there), has also been sending aid through their own borders into Gaza (which is what these protesters are trying to stop). The IDF has entire units that are doing nothing but provide aid to civilians. This doesn’t mesh with the idea that they want to starve these people.
Netanyahu and his government are doing a lot of posturing aimed at their voting base, but then they more or less sneakily don’t follow through with it. They say one thing in public, exclusively in Hebrew (which still gets out and is being translated, of course, and is getting used against them) and then behind the scenes, they do the opposite, e.g. turning utilities back on after a very short period of time, sending aid through, performing secret negotiations, etc.
This is incredibly stupid on every level. They won’t win the next election even if they get every remaining hostage out and catch Sinwar alive, but they refuse to acknowledge this. It’s hurting Israel’s international reputation, it’s creating tensions with allies and within the Israeli society. While I do not think that a left-leaning Israeli government would have responded to October 7 with a more limited war against Hamas in Gaza, I do think they would not have fumbled communication to such a baffling degree.
Then why are so many people starving? Just because they have been diplomatically strong armed into allowing some aid doesn’t mean they aren’t still using starvation as a weapon of war.
And the idea they are “letting them through” is not so simple.
Aid agencies say the chief factors hampering the delivery of lifesaving assistance to Gazans fall almost entirely under Israel’s control — the Israeli inspection process for aid remains lengthy and inefficient; there aren’t enough trucks or fuel inside Gaza to distribute the aid; mechanisms to protect humanitarian workers are unreliable; and commercial goods have only just begun to trickle in.
There are still 100 to 200 trucks per day compared to the average of 500 before the war. This is not enough and the ICJ essentially concluded the same the other day, or at least ruled that Israel needs to do more.
Just because it isn’t blatant and the perpetrator is being careful about their public image doesn’t mean it’s not happening
the perpetrator is being careful about their public image
Israel is anything but careful about their public image. I just mentioned the posturing from the Israeli government, which is the opposite of that. This doesn’t make any sense. What you are alleging is that they are doing what, the starvation carefully, so that nobody notices it’s deliberate? Do you have any idea how massive of a conspiracy would be necessary for this, in a country where government leaks are a regular occurrence? Do you really think the 85% of Israelis who want Netanyahu gone as soon as possible, the same ones who have been protesting Netanyahu for months, even before the war, would put up with this?
What you are alleging is that they are doing what, the starvation carefully, so that nobody notices it’s deliberate?
They announced their intention and are basically doing it, but after diplomatic pressure allowed some aid in. It’s not “careful so nobody notices” but “obvious to most but with some flimsy diplomatic cover.”
It’s not an allegation of a conspiracy, just that they’re doing what they claimed. But yes they seem to have successfully confused a lot of people by superficially “allowing” aid to enter.
How do you explain the current mass starvation people in Gaza are experiencing?
500 trucks used to go in on a daily basis. “Aid” that had to be painfully inspected by Israel has been far below that. In other words, Israel actually withheld aid from Gazans, despite “allowing it in”.
Because there isn’t a coherent starvation tactic. The same Israeli government that has members talking about limiting aid to Palestinians is also having Israeli officers inspect aid trucks at the Egyptian border and letting them through (Egypt and Israel jointly administer the crossing and Israel has the last word there), has also been sending aid through their own borders into Gaza (which is what these protesters are trying to stop). The IDF has entire units that are doing nothing but provide aid to civilians. This doesn’t mesh with the idea that they want to starve these people.
Netanyahu and his government are doing a lot of posturing aimed at their voting base, but then they more or less sneakily don’t follow through with it. They say one thing in public, exclusively in Hebrew (which still gets out and is being translated, of course, and is getting used against them) and then behind the scenes, they do the opposite, e.g. turning utilities back on after a very short period of time, sending aid through, performing secret negotiations, etc.
This is incredibly stupid on every level. They won’t win the next election even if they get every remaining hostage out and catch Sinwar alive, but they refuse to acknowledge this. It’s hurting Israel’s international reputation, it’s creating tensions with allies and within the Israeli society. While I do not think that a left-leaning Israeli government would have responded to October 7 with a more limited war against Hamas in Gaza, I do think they would not have fumbled communication to such a baffling degree.
Then why are so many people starving? Just because they have been diplomatically strong armed into allowing some aid doesn’t mean they aren’t still using starvation as a weapon of war.
And the idea they are “letting them through” is not so simple.
From here
There are still 100 to 200 trucks per day compared to the average of 500 before the war. This is not enough and the ICJ essentially concluded the same the other day, or at least ruled that Israel needs to do more.
Just because it isn’t blatant and the perpetrator is being careful about their public image doesn’t mean it’s not happening
Israel is anything but careful about their public image. I just mentioned the posturing from the Israeli government, which is the opposite of that. This doesn’t make any sense. What you are alleging is that they are doing what, the starvation carefully, so that nobody notices it’s deliberate? Do you have any idea how massive of a conspiracy would be necessary for this, in a country where government leaks are a regular occurrence? Do you really think the 85% of Israelis who want Netanyahu gone as soon as possible, the same ones who have been protesting Netanyahu for months, even before the war, would put up with this?
They announced their intention and are basically doing it, but after diplomatic pressure allowed some aid in. It’s not “careful so nobody notices” but “obvious to most but with some flimsy diplomatic cover.”
It’s not an allegation of a conspiracy, just that they’re doing what they claimed. But yes they seem to have successfully confused a lot of people by superficially “allowing” aid to enter.
How do you explain the current mass starvation people in Gaza are experiencing?
500 trucks used to go in on a daily basis. “Aid” that had to be painfully inspected by Israel has been far below that. In other words, Israel actually withheld aid from Gazans, despite “allowing it in”.
Edit: here is a good article that describes how less than 200 fet in every day despite a daily basic need for 500. On one day in January, only 30 crossed in.