A US official said at a summit in Bahrain that Hamas would be allowed to send more humanitarian aid into Gaza if it released the hostages they are holding. Brett McGurk – the White House Coordinator in the Middle East and North Africa – effectively conceded Israel’s treatment of the Gazan people by doing so.
A US official stated at a summit in Bahrain on Saturday that if Hamas released the hostages it is holding, much more charitable aid would be permitted into Gaza. In doing so, Brett McGurk, the White House’s coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, properly acknowledged that Israel is punishing the Gazan people collectively. War crimes include social punishment.
” A considerable pause in fighting would occur if a large number of hostages were released. There has been a major lull in fighting, according to McGurk, and an enormous influx of humanitarian aid. On a continuous basis, hundreds of trucks are entering Gaza from Egypt.
” This is the way to a break in the fighting. the liberation of hostages,” McGurk continued. ” Here, the burden is on Hamas. This is the route. Just requesting a cease-fire is certainly the way to achieve peace.
The president of Refugees International, Jeremy Konyndyk, claimed that McGurk’s remarks were against the rules of military conflict.
This is a position that is extremely harmful and ineffective.
violates numerous provisions of the military conflict laws.
contradicts USG messaging from weeks ago about the need to help Gaza’s civilians.
will be perceived as USG endorsing social punishment by the rest of the world. http ://t.co/ElRIIom2dR
— November 18, 2023, Jeremy Konyndyk ( at a pseudonym ).
Human Rights Watch and other organizations had previously stated that social punishment is prohibited by foreign law prior to McGurk’s remarks. Sari Bashi of Human Rights Watch wrote next month that the Israeli government is purposefully making the suffering of Gaza’s civilians worse by refusing to restore the flow of water and electricity and by obstructing fuel shipments. The act of cooperatively punishing civilians for the actions of armed groups is a war crime, as is wilful obstructing relief supplies. Bashi emphasized that Israel does not have the right to commit war crimes against the people of Gaza just because of the crimes it committed against Jewish civilians on October7.
McGurk did not express any resentment toward the more than 11, 000 Palestinians, including over 4, 600 children, who have already perished during Israel’s assault on Gaza, or the idea that civilians in Gaza must endure suffering until Hamas releases its hostages. McGurk stated that the United States would keep its disagreements with Israel personal in accordance with President Joe Biden’s long-standing policy. We wo n’t instruct another nation in self-defense or grieving, McGurk declared. However, we will do our best as friends and partners. and provide the best guidance and advice we can.
McGurk has a longer history working for the federal security agency in Washington. He worked as a clerk for the liberal Chief Justice William Rehnquist after graduating from Columbia Law School. He afterwards served under both Barack Obama and Donald Trump before working in Iraq during the George W. Bush administration. He is currently one of the most important advisors who helped Biden decide how to respond to the Gaza conflict.
Next year, McGurk was portrayed as a divisive figure in sane HuffPost profiles. According to the article, a former official once remarked that McGurk’s reputation was best summed up by the phrase” the most brilliant bureaucrat they’ve ever seen, with the worst foreign policy judgment.”
At the summit on Saturday, McGurk’s demeanor stood in striking contrast to Ayman Safadi, the minister of foreign affairs of Jordan, who had previously spoken. Safadi began his speech by saying,” All of us have to speak loud and clear about the catastrophe that the Israeli war is brining not just on Gaza but on the region in general.” ” This is not the time to mince words.” Now is the time to present the facts as they are. This is not an act of self-defense. This is obvious aggression, and honest Palestinians are the victims.
He went on to say,” The humanitarian catastrophe resulting from this is beyond words.” ” Food and water are not available to those crammed into UNRWA shelters.” We’re considering the significant likelihood of a disease outbreak with no sanitation facilities and no medical supplies.
Safadi asserted that the killing of Jewish civilians on October 7 was unjustified but that he thought Israel’s retaliation was against international law. ” Civilians are entitled to protection.” He clarified that denying Gazans access to food, medicine, and fuel constitutes a war crime. Because it is a war crime, we must declare it to be one. International law must be followed.
McGurk arrived at the same podium about twenty minutes afterwards for his speech. McGurk emphasized,” We have been working to get humanitarian aid into Gaza more and more. However, once hostages are released, there will be a surge in humanitarian aid, an increase in fuel, and an end to fighting.
McGurk reiterated the Biden administration’s frequently stated stance that Israel ought to abide by international law. He did not, however, make an effort to justify the support for collective punishment he described in his personal speech in relation to that accusation. A US official stated at a summit on Saturday in Bahrain that if Hamas released the hostages it is holding, Gaza would receive significantly more charitable aid. In doing so, Brett McGurk, the White House’s coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, properly acknowledged that Israel is torturing Gazans.
A US official said at a summit in Bahrain that Hamas would be allowed to send more humanitarian aid into Gaza if it released the hostages they are holding. Brett McGurk – the White House Coordinator in the Middle East and North Africa – effectively conceded Israel’s treatment of the Gazan people by doing so.
Hier spricht Brett McGurk im Jahr 2019. Tom Williams of CQ Roll Call photographed by Zuma. At a summit in Bahrain on Saturday, a US representative said that much more relief would be allowed into Gaza if Hamas let go of the prisoners they are detaining. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily bulletin and keep up with the news. By taking the action, Brett McGurk, the US representative tasked with overseeing the Middle East and North Africa, acknowledged that Israel is punishing the populace of Gaza as a whole. It is a violation of international law to subject those released from custody to punishment for the actions of others”.
In times of war, it is not acceptable to hold numerous captives responsible for the actions of some; therefore, anytime a large amount of detainees are liberated, clashes must be ceased in order to remain compliant with the international regulations. McGurk reported a considerable halt of hostilities as well as a massive infusion of humanitarian assistance. Large numbers of lorries come into Gaza from Egypt on a regular basis. This is the route to a break in hostilities.
