No UN endorsement: The maritime aid corridor to Gaza
The maritime aid corridor to Gaza does not have the endorsement of the United Nations, despite the need to bring support to displaced and war-affected people.
In this regard, the UN has disassociated itself from the maritime aid corridor to Gaza to be opened this weekend by the United States and the European Union (EU) and has made it clear that nothing can replace large-scale land shipment of supplies.
“Obviously we are happy that aid is going to arrive by other means, but nothing can replace the arrival of large-scale aid and commercial traffic through land routes,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary general, told a press conference.
Dujarric also clarified that the organization is not involved in the construction of a temporary port off the coast of Gaza announced by the United States, precisely to channel aid arriving through this maritime corridor from Cyprus, and that the organization is not part of the initiative at the “operational” level.
The spokesman could not confirm whether the ships using this maritime corridor of aid to Gaza to transport supplies from UN agencies.
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The maritime aid corridor to Gaza: good or bad sign?
At the same time, the UN rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri has assured that Israel has reduced the entry of aid to the Gaza Strip since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) told it that it was bound by international law to guarantee humanitarian access and prevent any act of genocidal character.
“What Israel decided after that ruling – of last January 26 – was to deny humanitarian aid. If we compare, the aid that entered Gaza in February was half of what it was in January, when there was not even talk of famine,” he said at a press conference on the sidelines of his speech at the Human Rights Council.
The maritime corridor of aid to Gaza, for the UN, is a sign of the extension of the conflict.
Faced with the flagrant non-compliance with the provisions of the ICJ, he considered that the international community could opt for an arms embargo or economic sanctions against Israel, alternatives that a group of UN human rights experts proposed a few days ago, “but it seems that no one has listened”.
The NGO Open Arms has already prepared a ship with 200 tons of food that is expected to sail from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip this weekend and will open the new maritime corridor of humanitarian aid announced by the United States and the European Union.
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According to NGO sources, it is an initiative led by this entity and World Central Kitchen, an NGO founded by the renowned Spanish chef José Andrés, who have been preparing the aid for months and have the authorization of the Government of Cyprus, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.
The maritime corridor of aid to Gaza is an idea of the United States and the European Union and was announced on Friday, March 8.
The creation of a “sea corridor” to bring humanitarian aid would bring relief to millions of Palestinians suffering an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the midst of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
