'Unfolding genocide': Mary Robinson says Israel blocking aid as she visits Gaza crossing point
She made the comments in a joint statement with former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark after they visited the Rafah Crossing with The Elders group.
Advertisement
They said they saw evidence of food and medical aid being deliberately denied entry into Gaza by Israel, and for the first time described the situation as an 'unfolding genocide'.
Mary Robinson and Helen Clark with an official from the Egyptian Red Crescent in front of the Rafah border crossing speaking to a truck driver whose aid shipment was rejected by Israel. Photo: Getty
Ms Robinson said: 'Governments that are not using all the tools at their disposal to halt the unfolding genocide in Gaza are increasingly complicit.'
The former UN human rights commissioner said political leaders have the power and legal obligation to apply measures which would put pressure on the Israeli government.
Ireland
Simon Harris joins international allies urging Isr...
Read More
'This is all the more urgent in light of prime minister Netanyahu's Gaza City takeover plan,' she said.
Ms Robinson said US president Donald Trump must use his 'leverage to compel a change of course'.
Her statement came as the
Tánaiste joined
the UK, Australia and other European states in calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into Gaza, describing the humanitarian suffering as 'unimaginable'.
In a joint statement signed by the foreign ministers of 24 countries, they said famine is 'unfolding before our eyes'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Arts centre to overhaul leadership after pro-Palestinian occupation
An arts centre has pledged to appoint new leadership and condemned the 'genocide' in Gaza after it was occupied by pro-Palestinian activists earlier this summer. Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) has been closed since Art Workers for Palestine Scotland occupied the building on June 24 after the venue could not come to a consensus on endorsing their cultural boycott of Israel. The campaign group had planned to host an unofficial week-long programme of workshops and screenings at the centre, but police were called and a violent altercation ensued. The CCA has now issued an apology and announced that plans to 'turnaround' the board would be 'accelerated'. In a statement, a spokesman said the centre 'acknowledges the disruption, confusion and harm experienced over recent weeks' and 'we sincerely regret the outcome of our decisions on 24 June'. He added: 'We recognise that a lack of clarity on our choices had real human consequences, and for this we are deeply sorry.' Art Workers for Palestine Scotland had called on the CCA to back the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). But on June 6, the centre announced on Instagram that its board had not come to a consensus on publicly endorsing the boycott. The CCA has now said it will 'revisit the decision on endorsement of PACBI when the new leadership is in place' and is now working towards adopting 'ethical fundraising and programming policy'. The centre said it 'respects' and recognises the 'urgency' of calls to endorse PACBI and it is 'grateful to those who have challenged us and held us to account', though it will reopen without formal endorsement until the new leadership is in place. It said new diverse board members would be recruited with an intention to 'widen the scope of experience, background and representation, including global majority'. The centre said recruitment would also be launched to replace the current chairman when she completes her term of office in October. The centre, heavily subsided by Creative Scotland, added: 'We condemn the violence of the Israeli state, the ongoing occupation, genocide, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We stand firmly against all forms of oppression and in support of the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people.' The announcement was celebrated by Art Workers for Palestine Scotland, which said: 'CCA's leadership have agreed to almost every demand that has been made of them. 'We understand this statement to mark a vital and momentous change of direction at CCA – a signal towards real institutional decolonisation. It is a huge win, not only for our city of Glasgow's proud and defiant solidarity with Palestine, but also internationally. 'As Glasgow's contemporary art centre, CCA must be a beacon for our city's solidarity with Palestine, for anti-colonialism, and for art to stand on the side of liberation. We urge everyone to use the example and precedent of CCA to apply pressure to publicly funded arts organisations.' The group had previously condemned the centre for calling the police, which led to the arrest of a 63-year-old woman and an injury to a person. 'The illusion has been shattered, all trust is lost, the mask has dropped,' it had said. The CCA hopes to reopen from the week commencing August 25.
Reuters
41 minutes ago
- Reuters
UK's Lammy says Israel settlement plan 'must be stopped now'
LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - British foreign minister David Lammy said Israeli plans to develop a settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem marked a breach of international law and must be stopped immediately. "The UK strongly opposes the Israeli government's E1 settlement plans, which would divide a future Palestinian state in two and mark a flagrant breach of international law. The plans must be stopped now," Lammy said in an emailed statement.
The Guardian
41 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Israel appears set to approve controversial settlement of 3,400 homes in West Bank
Israel appears set to give formal planning approval to a highly controversial settlement project for more than 3,400 new homes – which has been frozen for decades – which critics say would split the occupied West Bank in half. Strongly opposed by the international community, the so-called E1 plan would extend the existing Jewish settlement of Ma'ale Adumim towards Jerusalem, further cutting occupied east Jerusalem from the West Bank, and further separating the north and south of the territory. The decision from the Supreme Planning Council, which meets next week, is expected to support the plan after rejecting objections by Israeli NGOs. The expected decision in favour comes as Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich – who backs both the plan as well as the imposition of Israeli sovereignty through the occupied West Bank – gloated that he believed construction on E1 would 'bury the idea of a Palestinian state'. Smotrich is a junior minister who also holds a position at Israel's defence ministry with oversight of planning issues in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was sanctioned along with fellow far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir by the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in June for 'repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities'. Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Ma'ale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, a settler himself, said the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and US president, Donald Trump, had agreed to the revival of the E1 development, though there was no immediate confirmation from either. While approval for the plan would be a significant step, it remained unclear on Thursday how much buy-in Smotrich has from Netanyahu and the Trump administration. Netanyahu has not commented on Smotrich's remarks, while the US state department appeared to dodge the issue of E1 when questioned. 'Those in the world trying to recognise a Palestinian state will get an answer from us on the ground,' Smotrich said on Thursday, as he announced the plan's impending approval. 'Not through documents, not through decisions or declarations, but through facts. Facts of homes, neighbourhoods, roads and Jewish families building their lives.' The anticipated decision was immediately condemned by the EU. 'The EU rejects any territorial change that is not part of a political agreement between involved parties. So annexation of territory is illegal under international law,' European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said. The Norwegian foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, said the move by Smotrich, an ultranationalist in the ruling rightwing coalition who has long advocated for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, showed that Israel 'seeks to appropriate land owned by Palestinians in order to prevent a two-state solution'. While a UN spokesperson called on Israel to reverse a decision that would end prospects of a two-state solution, the US state department was more evasive. Asked about Smotrich's statement that Netanyahu and Trump had agreed to the development, a spokesperson for the US state department said the US remained focused on ending the war in Gaza and ensuring Hamas will never govern that territory again. 'A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region,' the spokesperson said, while referring to the Israeli government for further information. The fraught question of E1 – and whether the land will ever be built on – has become one of Israel's most interminable sagas, embraced by settler politicians but seen by more mainstream politicians as a red line over Washington's previous history of firm opposition. While Smotrich, whose increasingly unpopular far-right party would be unlikely to win any seats if elections were held today, has spent the past 24 hours grandstanding around the issue, any decision to meaningfully advance with actual building on E1 would probably have to be made by Netanyahu given the diplomatic ramifications. Reflecting the strong international opposition, the UK's Foreign Office said in July – when the issue of E1 re-emerged – that construction would be 'a flagrant breach of international law' threatening the viability of a future Palestinian state. Smotrich's remarks follow declarations in recent days by a growing number of countries of their intention to recognise a Palestinian state in the coming months, which Israel has condemned. The Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement building, said: 'The Netanyahu government is exploiting every minute to deepen the annexation of the West Bank and prevent the possibility of a two-state solution. 'It is clear to everyone today that the only solution to the conflict, and the only way to defeat Hamas, is through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. 'The government of Israel is condemning us to continued bloodshed, instead of working to end it.' First mooted in the 1990s by then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, the E1 plan has barely advanced in the past 20 years amid recognition by successive Israeli governments of the depth of international opposition, including in Washington. However, even with the tacit approval of the Trump administration, movement towards building would have severe diplomatic ramifications for an already diplomatically isolated Israel, leading to speculation that even with planning permission the plan might not advance.
