As the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens, world leaders gathering for the UN general assembly face a grave moral and political test – one that has implications for the conduct of war and the supply of humanitarian aid in the decades to come.
The use of humanitarian aid as an instrument of occupation by the Israeli authorities dates back almost 20 years. As a British official, I led a review of the humanitarian situation in Gaza in 2008 when the then government of Israel had just imposed a blockade. I advised UK ministers that this was not in line with international humanitarian principles, that we wouldn’t accept this in other humanitarian contexts, and we should not do so in this case. The UK government ignored my recommendations on securing independent access for humanitarian aid for Gaza.
