The ‘Symbol of Shame' an Israeli Minister Saw in Biafra 55 Years Ago Haunts His Nation Today from Gaza

The Wire

6 days ago

Eitay Mack
But inside Israel, starvation due to its conduct in Gaza is being denied, just as the pandemic was some years ago.
In a plenary session of the Knesset held on January 14, 1970, Israel foreign minister Abba Eban addressed the war in Biafra:
'Greater and more terrible than the suffering of war was the disaster of the siege, whose victims were civilians – most of them children – who came into the world only to live a brief and tragic life full of torment. Upon the people of Biafra was fulfilled the horrifying verse from the Book of Lamentations: 'Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger'.'
Eban added, 'The Biafran child – with his swollen belly, emaciated limbs and wide, pleading eyes – became the symbol of this generation's shame.'
To many around the world today, Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza is seen as the shame of our own generation.
In August 1968, Emmanuel Ron, Israel's chargé d'affaires in Lagos at the time, reported that senior figures in Nigeria's federal government – who were suppressing the Biafran rebellion – defended themselves against international criticism by saying: 'Starvation is a legitimate weapon in warfare. It was used as a lawful method by the advanced nations in their wars, and there is no reason Nigeria should act differently'.
Similarly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government and its supporters claim that Israel is being unfairly criticised by the international community for the blockade it has imposed on Gaza.
Israel has avoided seriously addressing international criticism – shared by most Western democracies – and confronting undisputed facts: On March 2, the Netanyahu government completely halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza; It subsequently approved an aid plan that, from the outset, promised only a 'minimum amount of food'; and even during the limited implementation of this plan, Israeli forces killed hundreds of starving human beings who came to receive food.
Meanwhile, a disturbing 'national sport' has emerged in Israel: the debunking of photographs coming from Gaza. This campaign involves officials, journalists, influencers and others, all working to discredit visual evidence of suffering rather than addressing its root causes.
The investigation carried out by participants in this 'sport' is not complicated, as in many cases information about the pre-existing health conditions of the children and infants shown in the footage has already been published by the international press or shared by their families and doctors in Gaza.
The widespread surprise is difficult to understand – naturally, it is logical that the first victims would be individuals from at-risk groups, with pre-existing health issues and weakened immune systems, who require specialised food and medical care and are especially vulnerable to the consequences of the overall health deterioration affecting the entire population densely concentrated by Israel.
Therefore, the denial of the starvation in Gaza most closely resembles the denial of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. Back then, too, there were those who conducted 'investigations' to reveal to the public that hospitalised patients and the deceased had pre-existing health conditions. This was despite the fact that the Ministry of Health was transparent on the issue and its representatives repeatedly emphasised that the pandemic posed a particular danger to these individuals and other at-risk groups.
The reality created by a series of reckless decisions made by Netanyahu's government has even managed to penetrate the walls of the White House. US Vice President J.D. Vance stated, 'I don't know if you've all seen these images. You have got some really, really heartbreaking cases. You've got little kids who are clearly starving to death … Israel's got to do more to let that aid in.'
President Donald Trump remarked, 'We can save a lot of people, I mean some of those kids. That's real starvation; I see it and you can't fake that […] I want to make sure they get the food.'
In response, the Netanyahu government paradoxically claims that there is no hunger. However, if hunger does exist, it blames solely Hamas and the UN. Despite this, the government has agreed to airlift humanitarian aid and allow additional ground routes for aid to enter the Gaza Strip.
This must not be a temporary gimmick designed merely to ride out the wave of criticism until global attention shifts elsewhere. After 21 months of war, the health damage to the starving people in Gaza is cumulative, and small, short-term relief will not be enough to repair it until Israel enforces the next halt.
Consistently, polls show that most Israelis support ending the war and the release of all hostages held in Gaza. However, this is not enough. Until the long-awaited end of the war, these same Israelis must also raise their voices about how the war is being conducted and demand the removal of all barriers to the free entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. An Israeli citizen cannot claim that the Netanyahu government does not represent them while remaining silent in the face of one of its most immoral and brutal actions.
There were times when the Knesset thought the same way. On July 22, 1968, it passed a resolution regarding the war in Biafra, calling on the warring parties to 'allow the transfer of substantial aid to those in need, by land, sea and air. Until the conflict is resolved, essential aid to save the lives of women and children, and to ensure food and assistance for the Ibo population and other tribes who are starving and suffering, must not be blocked.'
This was true for Biafra then, and it is true for Gaza today.
Eitay Mack is an Israeli human rights lawyer and activist who represents Palestinian victims of terror.
This article first appeared on the Hebrew media platform The Seventh Eye.
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