By This post is also available in: ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
Israel will maintain control over the entire Gaza enclave, Netanyahu declared as the Strip’s population faces starvation. Meanwhile, Britain, France and Canada warned they “will not stand by with folded arms” while Cyprus remains silent as a potential Mediterranean Riviera…
The situation unfolding in Gaza is shocking as two million Palestinians face famine imposed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right regime. In a video posted Monday on his Telegram account, the Israeli Prime Minister stated he wants to “take control of all the territory” of the Gaza Strip, explaining, “We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped.”
Therefore, under conditions of a deliberately planned and shamelessly advertised genocide, Israeli bombardments continued in Gaza, where according to civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal, 91 Palestinians were killed on Monday and 44 on Tuesday, mostly women and children.
According to international news agencies, Netanyahu was forced to retreat slightly by allowing “a basic amount” of humanitarian aid to prevent deaths from mass starvation, which he said was necessary for both practical and “diplomatic reasons.” He added, however, reassuring his far-right ministers that the military operation “Gideon’s Chariots” would continue until Gaza is fully captured, while the Israeli military called on civilians “to evacuate the South” as an “unprecedented attack” is expected.
Since early May, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel has protested against the Israeli cabinet’s decision to implement the “Gideon’s Chariots” plan – for the military to capture Gaza and remain there permanently, displacing Palestinians to nowhere – noting that “The government admitted that it is choosing territory over hostages, and this is against the will of over 70% of the people.”
Sweden, which has recognised a Palestinian state since 2014, was the first country to respond firmly to Netanyahu’s announced annexation of Gaza. Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stated, “If this means annexation, it violates international law. Sweden is steadfast in its position that Gaza’s territory must not be changed or reduced.” She also called on Israel to allow humanitarian aid to resume in Gaza, as the World Health Organisation warned that two million people are starving in the enclave, adding: “In our talks with the Israeli Government, we have repeatedly called for unhindered humanitarian access and distribution to be ensured in accordance with humanitarian principles. A ceasefire and a lasting end to the conflict are needed, and the hostages must be released – not more statements or plans by the Israeli Government that make things worse for the civilians in Gaza.”
On Monday, UN humanitarian operations chief Tom Fletcher said nine aid trucks were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, calling it “a drop in the ocean” after 11 weeks of blockade, adding that “significantly more aid must be allowed into Gaza, starting tomorrow morning.” The Israeli Prime Minister was forced to agree to allow limited aid into the besieged enclave, responding to global concern following reports of famine. “Two million people are starving,” in Gaza, while tonnes of food “are blocked at the border,” World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week.
All these scandalous events in Gaza unfolded under the shadow of developments at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, with the world watching efforts to reach an understanding between Moscow and Kyiv on Ukraine, while Donald Trump declared from his presidential aircraft that the issue would be resolved when he personally negotiates with President Putin. The rest is irrelevant, as the saying goes.
Hence, declarations by 22 countries that humanitarian aid to Gaza should begin “immediately and fully” are clearly made for appearances. France, Germany, Britain, Canada, Japan and Australia called on Israel to resume “immediately” and “fully” the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which should be organised by the United Nations and non-governmental organisations.
The UN and humanitarian organisations “cannot support” the new aid delivery model decided by the Israeli government, these countries state in their joint announcement. The leaders of Britain, France and Canada also warned that their countries “will not stand by” in the face of the “egregious actions” of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and will take action if Israel does not stop its new military operation in Gaza and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid entry: “The Israeli Government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law,” state French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in their joint statement. Nevertheless, Netanyahu keeps the humanitarian aid tap closed, clearing Gaza of Palestinian presence, apparently to hand it over to Donald Trump to transform it into a Riviera…
“Not everything critical of Israel is inherently antisemitic. That is, critical of its leadership. Not collectively of its people, who prove even in the current dire circumstances that they are not all poisoned by the warmongering proclamations of their far-right rulers,” writes Pantelis Boukalas in Kathimerini, aptly concluding: “These rulers deceitfully use the accusation of antisemitism against anyone who dares to criticise them, even if they are Israeli, even if they are diaspora Jews. The worst, the nightmarish part, is that they even use the Holocaust as their alibi.”
What does Nicosia say about all this? Does it find a Riviera-type arrangement in Gaza convenient for the region? Perhaps even a simultaneous arrangement for our own Riviera, in Famagusta? President Christodoulides has not informed us whether in his last meeting with Netanyahu, he was briefed about his intentions…
This article was first published on 21.05.2025
Source: GAZA, RIVIERA AND FAMAGUSTA
