Anders Persson, political scientist and Middle East expert in Aktuellt about the pressure on Israel to let aid into Gaza. Photo: SVT

 

Anders Persson, political scientist and Middle East expert in Aktuellt about the pressure on Israel to let aid into Gaza. Photo: SVT

Middle East expert: Israel is being subjected to a diplomatic tsunami

Updated yesterday 22:41Published yesterday 22:40

The emergency situation in Gaza has led to demands from world leaders for measures against Israel, something that Israel's ambassador claims strengthens Hamas.

The Middle East expert describes the pressure on Israel as exceptional:

- Israel is being subjected to what can be compared to a diplomatic tsunami. The worst diplomatic pressure that Israel has experienced at least since the war in Lebanon in the 1980s.

Several countries have criticized the country for not doing more to bring in emergency aid to Gaza's starving population.

Tuesday's Aktuellt was guested by Israeli ambassador Ziv Nevo Kulman. He claimed that the Israeli government is doing what is necessary to bring in a more than necessary amount of supplies into Gaza.

Anders Persson, a Middle East expert and researcher at Linnaeus University, says that this is not the case:

– A number of aid organizations give a different picture. That it is about a fifth of the actual need.

Too little food reaches Gazans

The ambassador says that the reason why emergency aid is not reaching civilian Gazans is that Hamas is stealing the contents of the shipments.

Pictures from inside Gaza show trucks with emergency aid being looted. But who is stealing, says Anders Persson, is unclear.

– It is difficult to know whether they belong to Hamas, another militant group, some criminal gang or civilians. Probably a little of each.

That it is not possible to prove that Hamas systematically steals emergency aid is also something that high-ranking sources within the Israeli army have stated to the New York Times. The same conclusion is drawn in a report from the American development agency USAID.

Anders Persson also raises criticism of the foundation that is now responsible for the majority of the distribution of all emergency aid into Gaza, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

– There is too little food and too few distribution stations. They have also been criticized due to the fact that a great many people have died in connection with the aid stations, says Anders Persson.

“Expected statement”

Ziv Nevo Kulman says that the threats of measures against Israel lead to the strengthening of Hamas.

Anders Persson believes that the statement follows the template for how an Israeli ambassador is expected to express himself when exposed to criticism and pressure:

– That the criticism from Europe is ill-timed, that it is counterproductive and that it helps Israel's enemies. This is completely in line with what one can expect to hear

the source