Israel’s Western allies ‘bear some of the blame,’ says Norwegian Refugee Council

‘They have their fingerprints over in many ways a crime scene,’ the former top U.N. official says, pointing out the U.S., Germany, U.K. and France

Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and a former top U.N. humanitarian official, has made strong remarks about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, describing it as “among the worst places in humanitarian history.”

Speaking from Oslo, Egeland highlighted that while the situation was “terrible in Rafah,” it was “even worse” in the northern part of the Gaza Strip because of the lack of humanitarian aid.

‘Israel violates international law’

He endorsed the World Food Program’s assessment of famine in northern Gaza, attributing it to Israel’s restrictive control over border crossings, which he condemned as a violation of international law.

Egeland said that Israel had been “indiscriminate” in its bombardment but also pointed out that “the lack of access to humanitarian aid violates international law.”

 

Regarding the tragic killing of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen NGO, Egeland expressed the belief that it was a “mistake” but accused Israel of failing in its obligations to distinguish, take precautions, and assess proportionality in its actions.

“Israel is neither doing the distinction nor the precaution nor the assessment of proportionality that they are obligated to do under international law,” Egeland said. 

Israel has “committed a lot of violations of international law: a world record in dead aid workers, a world record in dead doctors, in nurses, teachers, women and children in such a small period – it’s unheard of,” he added.

Western allies bear some of the blame

Egeland went on to say that Israel’s Western allies “bear some of the blame,” pointing to the U.S., Germany, U.K., and France for providing military aid used in indiscriminate bombings. “They have their fingerprints over in many ways a crime scene,” he said.

Egeland denounced the freezing of assistance to UNRWA because of allegations of wrongdoing by some members, labeling it “hypocrisy on an industrial scale.”

Expressing grave concern for southern Lebanon, Egeland warned of a looming catastrophe, urging a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to prevent further destabilization in a country already burdened with hosting millions of refugees.

He stressed the urgent need for increased aid to prevent Lebanon’s collapse under the strain of its refugee population.

Source: Newsroom