UN human rights chief appalled by statement from Israel’s finance minister
Published: Friday, Aug 9th 2024, 15:10
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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has sharply criticized the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for his controversial statements on the starvation of the Palestinians. He was shocked and appalled by this, Türk announced in Geneva.
According to Israeli media reports, Smotrich had said that a blockade of aid supplies for the Gaza Strip was justified in order to free the hostages taken hostage in the terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7. He added that, in his opinion, this also applied if two million people were starving as a result. Germany, France and the EU also expressed their horror.
Such statements incited hatred towards innocent civilians, said Türk. Starving inhabitants to death or collectively punishing them are war crimes. "Such statements, especially by public officials, must cease immediately, they must be investigated and, if they are classified as crimes, prosecuted and punished," Türk said. At the same time, he once again called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of the hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip.
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