US President Donald Trump admitted yesterday that there is a “real famine“ in Gaza, thereby for the first time disagreeing with the opinion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who claims the opposite, writes the “Washington Post“, BTA reported.
Trump's comments came after Netanyahu said that there is “no famine“ in Gaza at a time when Israel allowed more food aid trucks to enter the war-torn Gaza Strip over the weekend after massive international pressure, the publication points out.
A few months ago, Israel eliminated the UN-coordinated aid delivery systems and replaced them with the Humanitarian Fund for Gaza (HFG), which, however, was criticized and defined as a way for Israel to achieve its military goals by inadequately providing aid and by forcing the people of Gaza to put their lives in danger, the American newspaper commented.
Twenty-one Democratic senators recently said that Donald Trump should immediately stop funding the HFG, as they believe it is responsible for the killings of more than 700 civilians and has violated humanitarian law, the newspaper writes. “Guardian“.
The letter comes at a time when international criticism of the activities of the US-Israeli-backed HFG is intensifying, with claims that its model “violates the established norms that have governed the distribution of humanitarian aid since the ratification of the Geneva Conventions in 1949“ and blurs the lines between aid delivery and military operations, the publication points out.
For Trump, who boasts of his skillful approach to deal-making on the world stage, the famine in Gaza is a test of whether his “America First“ foreign policy can cope with one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century, the newspaper writes. „New York Times“.
His meeting yesterday in Scotland with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said he felt a “sense of disgust“ at the suffering of the people of Gaza, appeared to have influenced Trump, the newspaper commented. Starmer said he discussed the “humanitarian crisis“ with the US president and showed him pictures of starving people.
This led to a remarkable reversal in Trump's position on Gaza, which in recent weeks has largely focused on shifting the focus to the actions of “Hamas“, the “New York Times“ indicates.
Meanwhile, Starmer is expected to present his plan to officially recognize the state of Palestine this week, the British newspaper writes. „Telegraph“.
According to the newspaper, Starmer is waiting for a convenient moment to present his plan to the British people, after Trump appeared to give him the green light to change Britain's position.
However, the British government will carefully monitor Washington's reaction to any new declaration, after last week US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused French President Emmanuel Macron of serving "Hamas propaganda" after he announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state, notes „Telegraph“.