"Thank you again for naming what many Canadians who have been protesting in the streets since October 7 know to be true. The humanitarian catastrophe that has emerged in the Gaza Strip is an Israeli made disaster. There is no time left for negotiation, charades or indecisiveness on the part of Western leaders such as President Biden. For the Palestinians, every moment and every meal counts and they are counting on us!"
March 13, 2024
Dear Ms. Malloy and Ms. Evelyn,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to thank you for the recent opinion article by Gwynne Dwyer titled: Israel-Gaza: 'no boots on the ground published on March 13 in Hill Times.
My grandmother used to say that ‘actions speak louder than words’. The article clearly demonstrated the incongruent actions of Western countries like the United States in response to Israel’s brutal military assault on Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe that has resulted. On one hand, we provide military aid to Israel while simultaneously offering humanitarian assistance to people in the Gaza Strip. In the words of Queen Rania of Jordan, we “cannot save people from hunger only to bomb them to death.” It is lunancy and makes no sense.
Yes, there is no need for piers, ships or aircraft to get food and other necessities into the Gaza Strip.The entire Gaza strip is 41 kilometers long by 10 kilometers wide. The aid trucks are lined up and ready to go. The article named what is truly needed – the political will and decisive action of Western powers and particularly the United States to hold Israel to account. Western leaders have the ‘power’ to demand that Israel allow safe access and delivery of humanitarian aid to the scale needed and to agree to a permanent ceasefire.
It was shocking to read that since the ICJ's ruling, the aid deliveries to Gaza have all but collapsed. All of this in violation of international humanitarian law without any accountability to Israel from Western leaders.We are essentially telling the people of Gaza that international humanitarian law does not apply to Israel or to them.
Thank you again for naming what many Canadians who have been protesting in the streets since October 7 know to be true. The humanitarian catastrophe that has emerged in the Gaza Strip is an Israeli made disaster. There is no time left for negotiation, charades or indecisiveness on the part of Western leaders such as President Biden. For the Palestinians, every moment and every meal counts and they are counting on us!
Sincerely,
Debbie Hubbard