So many times since October 7, the UN and many governments have raised alarms regarding imminent and mass starvation in the Gaza Strip. It never materialized. But recently a serious crisis with respect to food availability has developed there. The causes of this food scarcity are not as simple as the media and many national leaders would have us believe. There have been rash and constant allegations smearing Israel, alleging that food deliveries were withheld in order to starve the civilian population. Not only is that a very distorted—and untrue—version of reality, but it has become gospel to so many. Based on facts? No. The BBC—once the gold standard of journalism—is leading the pack of purveyors of misinformation but has plenty of company among big mainstream media and all manner of smaller publications. But it is the BBC that has had to crawl back and retract several reports recently on the basis that they were unfounded. Same with UN Head of Aid and former UK diplomat Tom Fletcher. So—what the heck is going on in the Gaza Strip? I discuss this issue in depth with frequent State of Tel Aviv guest, Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus, Senior Fellow at FDD, high-profile TV commentator, and public speaker. It’s been a while since he has joined us, but it’s wonderful to have him back.
Below, we offer a small sample of the gusher of information that is available. Sifting through what’s real and what is not is super challenging. In this context it is compounded by the manner in which the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has approached this communications and humanitarian crisis. We discuss it all.
Podcast Notes:
* Jerusalem Post article regarding UN Head of Aid, Tom Fletcher’s, Unfounded Claim that 14,000 babies would die within 48 hours.
* Example of BBC “verification” of already published information which they cannot, well, verify.
* Report on UN Head of Aid Tom Fletcher’s comment regarding 10,000 trucks of food being denied entry to Gaza by Israel
* BBC article. This article is a strange one. BBC presents it as if it refutes the accusations made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt regarding BBC reports having been retracted/corrected. However, if you read the BBC response to Leavitt, they just muddy the waters. Bottom line? They pounced to report without clear evidence to support their claims that were originating and in a highly volatile environment. Judge for yourself.
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Jonathan Conricus is a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. He served in the IDF for 24 years, four of them as spokesman during the intense 11 days of the Guardian of the Walls Operation between Israel and Hamas. Now a reserve officer with the rank of Lt. Col., he is a sought-after speaker internationally and is frequently seen on major television news shows. Jonathan was born in Jerusalem to a Swedish father and an Israeli mother and spent his formative years in Sweden.
Jonathan Conricus on X: @jconricus
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