In November of last year, I wrote a post titled “UN on Gaza: An “imminent†disaster years in the making.” In it, I detailed how the UN has declared an imminent “humanitarian crisis” that would lead to mass starvation and death—all the way back to May of 2006. And yet, I must point out, Gaza’s cemeteries have not been burgeoning, Hamas is not displaying corpse after corpse of undernourished children, and, well, the people in Gaza are seemingly getting all they need to survive quite well. Except, of course, if you’re in the United Nations and want to slam Israel.
Apparently, it’s time for the UN to bring up the imminent disaster meme again. And it’s by our old friend, the viciously anti-Israel Karen AbuZayd.
Plight of Palestinians getting worse, UN warns
The blockade of Gaza is causing severe humanitarian hardship and the situation is getting worse every day, the head of the U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees warned on Wednesday.[…] “Because there’s been no change and the borders are not open, things are deteriorating,” said Karen Koning AbuZayd, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
“People are in worse and worse condition every day, especially those who were affected by the conflict in late December and in January.”
AbuZayd, speaking to reporters in the Austrian capital, said many people were still living in the rubble of their homes. She also lamented the limited list of items the Israelis allowed in, saying it was making it impossible for people to lead normal lives.
“This is an urban environment, multistory buildings, people need all kinds of things in their homes – they need light bulbs, they need washing powder, children need new shoes – there’s no shoes allowed in,” she said.
Um—I thought we’re talking “severe humanitarian hardship.” Shoes? Light bulbs? These are the things that a person needs or s/he will die? But wait, let’s see what the AP chooses to put in the very last paragraph, the one that gets cut off in most newspapers:
AbuZayd added that while the Israelis were “very careful” to provide food and medicine, the amount of food coming in only covered about 60 percent of people’s needs.
So she admits that Israel is supplying humanitarian needs, but then qualifies that by saying Gazans are getting only 60% of what they need. Which means that Gazans should be starving, on almost half-rations. And yet, they are not. Imagine that.
Yet another one-two punch by the anti-Israel media and the anti-Israel UN. But not to worry. Israel Derangement Sydrome happens only on days that end with a “y.”