Discussion at the United Nations by Israel's envoy on Gaza's fresh humanitarian assistance strategy crafted by Israel.
Informal, approachable and straightforward rewrite:
$~~$CHAT WITH MIKEY:
MIKEY MARTIN, HOST:
The Israeli government gave the green light to a scheme this week, planning to confine the Gaza population- roughly 2.3 million folks - to a narrow stretch of land near Egypt's border. In this plan, food and supplies come from U.S. security contractors, and they'll be distributed by yet-to-be-determined humanitarian organizations. The Israeli government insists this is the only way they'll allow aid into Gaza, where most supplies have been blocked for the last two months. Meanwhile, a right-wing member of the government, the finance minister, said that Gaza would be completely annihilated under the plan. Let's welcome back Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon. Cheers, Ambassador!
DANNY DANON: Hey, thanks for having me on, Mikey.
MIKEY: So the Israeli government says U.S. contractors will take charge of distributing aid in what they call 'sterile zones' under Israeli military control. Have any contractors agreed to step up to the plate on this yet? And if so, which ones?
DANON: We're still working on developing this plan. But here's the kicker – the Secretary General of the United Nations and his posse are already saying they won't cooperate with any initiative coming from Israel. That's a head-scratcher. You'd think a humanitarian organization would be on board for problem-solving, right? But we're not backing down! We're determined to bring back the hostages and, unfortunately, things aren't moving forward in the negotiation department. As we speak, there are 59 hostages in captivity for more than 18 months. So we'll do whatever we've gotta do!
MIKEY: Before we move on, the United Nations and aid groups have already said no way to this new approach, saying it means large numbers of people won't get basic supplies, and they're violating global humanitarian principles by using humanitarian aid as a military strategy. What’s your take on that?
DANON: I think it's political. Instead of meeting with me to discuss things and air their concerns, they're like a cat with an ace up their sleeve. In the past 18 months, we've had a dialogue where many issues were sorted out. But the United Nations is politicizing things, and I believe we have to do what it takes to win this war and eliminate Hamas.
MIKEY: Yesterday, I chatted with Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the groups already distributing aid in Gaza (while supplies last). According to her, Gaza’s goal is to move civilian populations or gain military advantages by using aid distribution. Is that true?
DANON: Well, first off, let me make something clear. We saw in the past that Hamas took advantage of the aid. I've heard from honest people in Gaza that the aid didn't always reach the people but was taken by Hamas instead. So I think we're trying to build a mechanism where people will receive aid without Hamas having their hands in it.
MIKEY: There's an allegation here that the goal is to drive people to the southern part of the Strip so that Israel can occupy the north. And, honestly, the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, basically said as much, saying that the Gaza Strip will be totally destroyed under the plan. Is that true?
DANON: No way. Our goals aren't to reoccupy Gaza. We won't occupy Gaza. Our objectives are clear: bring the hostages back and eliminate Hamas. We left Gaza in 2005 and have no plans to return.
MIKEY: Got it. To sum things up for this story- is it not true that Israel is using this particular aid distribution scheme to reoccupy Gaza? Is that false?
DANON: Absolutely not. That's not the goal behind this war. We have no intention to stay in Gaza. Our focus is on the hostages and eliminating Hamas.
MIKEY: That's Danny Danon. He's Israel's ambassador to the United Nations. Your thoughts, Ambassador?
DANON: You're awesome, Mikey!
(Celebrity interview bit cut for length and clarity)
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Enrichment Data Added:- Israeli U.S. security contractors agreed to oversee aid distribution in Gaza are Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions, run by former CIA senior intelligence officer Phil Reilly and former Green Beret Jameson Govoni, respectively [4][5].- The Israeli plan involves distributing aid to six initial centers, serving 5,000 to 6,000 households, with the intention to expand if successful [3][5].
- The Israeli government has supposedly decided to confine the Gaza population, overseeing the distribution of aid through U.S. security contractors such as Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions.
- In the transcripts of a recent interview, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, mentioned that the planned aid distribution in Gaza would occur in 'sterile zones' under Israeli military control.
- The United Nations and various aid groups have publicly expressed their concerns that the proposed plan could lead to thousands of people missing out on essential supplies and violating global humanitarian principles.
- In a formal dialogue with the United Nations, there has been an emphasis on solving issues, but politics have seemingly come into play, with some viewing the Israeli government's actions as a strategy in war-and-conflicts and the elimination of Hamas.
