Euro-Med: "Israel" uses Gaza relief coordination to protect occupation and settlement

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor accuses Israel of using the Gaza relief coordination mechanism to protect the occupation and settlement, and employing humanitarian aid as a tool for political blackmail and subjugating states and the Palestinian people, noting the exclusion of Britain from the International Support Center for Gaza.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor issued a statement on Wednesday accusing Israel of using the relief coordination mechanism in the Gaza Strip to protect the occupation and settlement system, and employing humanitarian aid as a tool for political blackmail and subjugating states and the Palestinian people. The monitor explained that the exclusion of Britain from the International Support Center for Gaza confirms that the coordination mechanism is entirely subject to the occupation system and its political conditions, noting that Israeli retaliatory measures against London included closing its consulate and preventing British officials from entering Israel, in response to Britain's ban on trade with settlements. It added that Israel had previously prevented Spain and the Netherlands from participating in aid coordination mechanisms to punish them for their positions rejecting settlement. The monitor affirmed that the occupying power is legally obligated to ensure the provision of basic supplies, and that establishing any support center does not relieve it of its responsibilities under international law. It pointed out that Israeli policy aims to dismantle the independent relief system by restricting UNRWA's work and banning dozens of international organizations. It stressed that politically employing relief coordination with the intent to starve civilians incurs individual criminal responsibility and constitutes a component of the crime of genocide.