As some dissenting voices in Israel have started speaking out, the very recent change of heart from some of Israel’s staunchest international supporters has moved beyond the pearl-clutching and handwringing lip service.
The tide of international public opinion turning against Israel’s reportedly indiscriminate 19-month slaughter and starvation of Gaza’s population of more than two million – trapped inside the world’s largest open-air prison of 41km by 6km to 12km – has swelled into a tsunami as Israel’s strongest allies collectively turn on its government.
Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza for decades but a complete two-month blockade of aid convoys with rotting food on Gaza’s borders, the UN issuing dire warnings of mass starvation and the growing illegal settlements and settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, appear to have forced their hand.
Following pressure from Israel’s strongest ally, the US, which provides the Jewish state with nearly $4-billion in aid annually as well as several other military packages worth billions, Tel Aviv allowed a small amount of aid into Gaza at the beginning of the week. The UN, however, has warned that 14,000 babies are at risk of dying in the next few days if significant aid isn’t let in.
