The CBC reporting on the wars in the Middle East has been tainted by anti-Israeli bias. The bias is evident in the omissions as much as the reprinted Islamist propaganda. This week, the multiple accounts of famine in Gaza reported by deeply antisemitic NGOs, including UNRWA, were repeated credulously by most news media. Understanding this case is complex.
In writing about geopolitics, short shrift is often given to the geography of the region. This matters in Gaza. While Hamas spread the lie of the open air prison for decades after Israel withdrew, they are now finally under siege in reality. Israel does control the airspace and Mediterranean coast. They definitely must control the eastern border of Gaza, which abuts all the lefty peacenik kibbutzim that were destroyed on October 7. All three are possible entry points for weapons and egresses for terrorists. Truckloads of humanitarian aid examined at the border still regularly contain bullets and guns.
IDF image – Nov 11, 2024
For almost 2 decades weapons were smuggled across the Egyptian border, both in tunnels and above ground. For the first half of the war, it was Egypt’s fault that the southern border was closed to escaping refugees and humanitarian aid. After May 7, 2024 Israel managed that crossing, the Philadelphi corridor. With Israel in control, Hamas can no longer rearm easily. The hostages cannot be moved out of Gaza. However, Israel now secures every border, creating a siege, which makes Israel responsible for all Gazan civilians. That is the law of war and partly why Yoav Gallant, representing the security establishment opposed holding on to the Philadelphi corridor.
Smuggling across the corridor was a huge moneymaker for Hamas, which charged 20% tax on every item. All their leaders were billionaires due to this lucrative practice. In another impossible situation for Israel, created by Hamas, the IDF has reluctantly assumed responsibility for civilians, but not distribution of all aid, which would unnecessarily risk soldiers’ lives. Thus, Israel repeatedly paused fighting to ensure that 94% of Gazan children were fully immunized against the new polio strain coming from Egypt. They create humanitarian corridors and protect them in spite of IDF soldiers being shot at while doing so.
Israel has had no quotas on humanitarian aid after the first 10 days of this war. Yet the NGOs have cried all week about imminent famine in Gaza. Part of this may be crying wolf, since we have heard this lament for more than six months now and no credible evidence of death by starvation. Just the opposite was revealed in a study demonstrating Gazans received more than 3000 cal per person per day. But there is a problem with distribution of humanitarian aid in the north. This section of Gaza was cleared as a war zone almost a year ago. Why are there still people there? Most are Hamas fighters. Some are their families. Others returned to their homes, exhausted by the stress of homelessness. This is not a choice I fully understand, but I have not been in their situation.
The NGOs, who leave hundreds of trucks stacked up on the Gaza side of the border with Israel every day, say they cannot distribute in an active war zone. That is the job they signed up for. Yesterday there were 900 trucks at Kerem Shalom Crossing alone. Israel has opened up a further crossing, Kissufim, but crossings are not the problem. Hamas and criminal gangs steal aid since it is highly lucrative. This is war profiteering. Since the usual smuggling routes have been cut off, a new cash flow source had to be found. The fact that this could all end if Hamas would lay down its weapons and return the hostages is invariably ignored by these NGOs, who conveniently never mention Hamas. What is the use of these NGOs in Gaza, other than to vilify Israel? Amnesty International and other aid groups have been open about using lawfare as a strategy to marginalize and destroy Israel.
Our CBC journalists reporting on aid seemed to have finally checked the COGAT website today. COGAT is the Israeli government agency responsible for administration of aid in the Palestinian territories. UNRWA refuses to report any aid delivered by COGAT, a fairly glaring omission that CBC ignores. CBC says it trusts Gazan sources more since they are on the ground.
Screen shot of aid delivered reported by COGAT on Nov 11, 2024
But so is COGAT.
The CBC must feel righteous using reports from NGOs without ever understanding that they are being co-opted in a lawfare project. Protecting civilians from starvation is one of the first rules of siege. If Hamas, aided by NGOs, can credibly accuse Israel of a war crime, it is another enormous win in the propaganda war. As we have already seen, Hamas is delighted to maximize civilian casualties in order to demonize Israel and win in the court of public opinion. Hamas is also hoping to win at the ICJ, where South Africa had to ask for an extension to find evidence of the genocide. In vilifying Israel, Hamas has been incredibly successful.
As I look for evidence to support my arguments, I find myself increasingly reliant on centre left Israeli media, NGO monitor, COGAT, Foundation for the Defence of Democracy and West Point. The best known media sources and internet sites are lost. I trust the Israeli sites since they have had to retract two stories in the last year and a half, while others peddle in misinformation provided by Hamas regularly.
There is not much for Hamas to celebrate these days as dozens of their fighters surrendered to the IDF last night in Jabaliya. Being able to finally orchestrate a real famine, and have it broadcast by humanitarian agencies and picked up by our media has clearly been a terrorist goal for months. I have yet to see any pictures of starving masses but in truth, little food has been handed out in three northern towns for the last 5 weeks. If there is any famine in Northern Gaza, it has been deliberately created by Hamas. The real story, which CBC once again misses, is the successful lawfare project being organized against Israel, with Palestinians paying the price.