Trucks load with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip are seen at the Kerem Shalom Crossing in southern Israel, Tuesday May 20. Maya Alleruzzo/AP hide caption
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Maya Alleruzzo/AP
Israel – facing intense pressure from some European countries – has agreed to allow a “basic quantity” of food into Gaza after an almost three-month long blockade on supplies into the war-torn area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the move was in part a response to U.S. senators, whom he did not name, telling him that the U.S. would not be able to continue providing military aid and diplomatic support if Gaza faced mass starvation.
But Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told Morning Edition that Netanyahu’s move is not enough and that the blockade has been “catastrophic.”
“Children are now literally dying of starvation while being held by their mother or their father,” Welch said. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the BBC Tuesday that 14,000 babies in Gaza are at risk of death in the next 48 hours without aid.
Middle East crisis — explained
Israel says it will allow a ‘basic quantity’ of food into Gaza to prevent starvation
Welch is sponsoring a resolution along with at least 30 other Democratic caucus members, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling on the Trump administration to put pressure on the Israeli government to fully end its blockade of food, medicine, fuel and other aid to Gaza.
Welch spoke to NPR’s Leila Fadel about Israel’s war in Gaza and what he hopes his resolution will accomplish.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
Leila Fadel: Senator, if we could just start with the goal of this resolution and why you introduced it.
Sen. Peter Welch: It’s to get aid in. It is absolutely appalling what is happening to innocent Palestinians in Gaza. And there are 14,000 babies, according to the UN, that could die in the next 48 hours if aid is not getting in. Children are now literally dying of starvation while being held by their mother or their father. And the 72 days of blockade by the Netanyahu government of no food, no water, no medicine is catastrophic. And the famine that people are experiencing is also catastrophic. And it’s a very brutal process and terrifying way to die. And Israel, as having control over Gaza, has an obligation internationally to get food and medicine into the people that need it.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., speaks during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance on Capitol Hill, March 6. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption
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Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Fadel: Israel is starting to allow a basic quantity of aid to Gaza. We heard baby food, just baby food so far to avoid mass starvation. Netanyahu has said this was for practical and diplomatic reasons as Israel works to take control of the Gaza Strip. Do you see this move as enough?
Welch: It’s absolutely not enough. This is not about practical and political reason. This is about people who are starving, needing food and needing water. And the notion that the Netanyahu government can use starvation, withholding food and water, withholding medicine, as a tool of the military campaign violates international law. It’s completely wrong. We should condemn it, just as I condemn Hamas for what it’s done. But starvation is not a legitimate tool of warfare.
Fadel: What do you make of Israel’s argument that the aid is just being stolen by Hamas and that’s why this blockade has been going on?
Welch: It’s self-serving. And the reality is Hamas will probably steal some food. But the reality is that when food was flowing, when we had 500 trucks going in, people weren’t starving. They were suffering. They were dislocated. There was bombing going at places, including hospitals, that was killing aid workers in many cases. But the food was actually getting delivered to people. And the starvation that we’re seeing right now, that was not happening. There was a regular flow of food and people could at least count on going to a place where they’d have a meal for themselves and their children.
Middle East
The U.S. has a plan for getting food into Gaza. Top aid groups object to the idea
Fadel: So what do you want to see happen?
Welch: I want aid to flow. It’s really very, very simple. That’s not going to solve what is a very intractable problem. But where a country, Israel, basically has control of whether the food comes in or it doesn’t – and it’s chosen as a policy, according to his defense minister and his foreign minister, to withhold the food that results in starvation – that has to be condemned as well. So the United States has a role to play here and Congress has a role to play in the idea that we’re accepting this, we’re turning our head the other way as if this is not happening, is wrong.
Fadel: Is your resolution symbolic, though? Will it get this blockade lifted or can it actually do anything?
Welch: The ultimate decision maker is going to be the Netanyahu government. Will it pay attention to the United States, its ally that provides billions of dollars in aid? That’s going to be a question for the Netanyahu government. But in my view, Congress should speak clearly, and I think we should be united on this. This is not about what your position is. You’ve got to be in favor and demanding that folks who are starving get the food that they need to survive.
The radio version of this story was produced by Milton Guevara and Ben Abrams. The digital story was edited by Treye Green.
