Bezalel Smotrich Archives - Page 6 of 6

US ‘Appalled’ by Smotrich’s Starvation of Gaza Remarks

CrossFireArabia
August 9, 2024

The US administration is “appalled” by remarks made by the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich Monday of starving the entire population of Gaza as “justified and moral” to release the Israeli prisoners.

“We are appalled by these comments and reiterate that this rhetoric is harmful and disturbing,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to The Times of Israel according to the Quds News Network.

The statement added that US President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have repeatedly stressed “the need to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, remove any obstacles to the flow of aid and restore basic services for those in need”.

Meanwhile British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called on the Israeli occupation government to retract and slam Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remarks on starving the entire population of Gaza.

He said in a post on X, “There can be no justification” for the statements. “International law could not be more clear – the deliberate starvation of civilians is a war crime,” Lammy added.

International law could not be more clear – the deliberate starvation of civilians is a war crime.

There can be no justification for Minister Smotrich’s remarks and we expect the wider Israeli government to retract and condemn them.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 7, 2024

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Israel Hayom outlet on Monday, Smotrich expressed support for blocking aid to the Gaza Strip but said Israel lacked international legitimacy to do so.

“We are bringing in aid because there is no choice,” the far-right minister said.

“We can’t, in the current global reality, manage a war. Nobody will let us cause two million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned,” he added.

He said that Israel needed “international legitimacy for this war”.

For about 10 months, the Israeli occupation has imposed a tight siege on the Gaza Strip, extremely limiting the flow of life-saving essential food and medical items.

In June, independent UN investigators said Israel was using starvation on the Palestinian population as a weapon of war. The hunger crisis has led to the death of dozens of people due to malnutrition, mostly children according to the Quds News Network.

News

Smotrich: It is “Justified, Moral” to Starve Gazans

CrossFireArabia
August 5, 2024

CROSSFIREARABIA – If it was up to him, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich would starve to death the over two million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. He said such action would be “justified and moral”.

His comments are trending on the social media.

However, he added the international community wouldn’t allow us to do it. “We can’t, in the current global reality, manage a war. Nobody will let us cause two million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned,” Smotrich told a conference hosted by Israel’s Hayom daily newspaper according to Anadolu.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that allowing two million Palestinians in Gaza to die of hunger might be “justified and moral.” However, he added that the current global reality prevents Israel from taking such drastic measures.

More details:… pic.twitter.com/4z4nWcK1VV
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 5, 2024

“Humanitarian in exchange for humanitarian is morally justified, but what can we do? We live today in a certain reality, we need international legitimacy for this war,” he added.

One blogger has called him a “fanatic terrorist settler” while another says ‘this racist monster doesn’t know the true meaning of justice and morality.”

Smotrich’s comments have “sparked outrage reflecting a disturbing rhetoric that is interpreted as indicative of genocidal intent,” states Al Mayadeen English.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's comments have sparked outrage, reflecting a disturbing rhetoric that is interpreted as indicative of genocidal intent. #Gaza #Palestine https://t.co/Xok6nLjnjj
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 5, 2024

“The Nazi-like genocidal intent of apartheid Israel is unmistakable in Smotrich’s criminal words,” says Professor Jonathan Moyo, former minister of higher education in Zimbabwe.

“We are bringing in aid because there is no choice,” Smotrich said, calling for Israel to have full control over what enters the Palestinian enclave.

The far-right minister reiterated his opposition to any prisoner swap deal with Hamas, claiming that current cease-fire proposals are “unjust and unethical” as they would only return a few hostages and jeopardize state security, Anadolu stated.

He also expressed his opposition to releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages, asserting that they would “return to kill Jews.”

Moreover, Smotrich reiterated his controversial stance on the resettlement of the Gaza Strip, claiming that: “Where there is no settlement, there is terror.”

But Gaza is already being starved through an Israeli imposed crippling blockade instituted on the Strip since the 7 October, 2023 Hamas attack, leaving the territory’s entire population on the verge of famine.

ISRAEL FINANCE MINISTER, BEZALEL SMOTRICH SAYS IT IS "JUSTIFIED AND MORAL" FOR ISRAEL TO CAUSE TWO MILLION CIVILIANS TO DIE OF HUNGER IN GAZA

In what is a clear and unambiguous confirmation of the genocidal intent of apartheid Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, Israeli Finance… pic.twitter.com/yHMULyvZgk
— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) August 5, 2024

Thousands of aid trucks stand idle on the Rafah border unable to get into Gaza because of the Israeli big guns. What is being allowed is only a trickle to feed a hungry population who are dying because they are being starved.

This has been the case for the last 10 months with Israel turning the transport and entry taps as it pleases.