The US envoy to the UN, Dorothy Shea, on Wednesday criticised a UN-backed report that found famine is occurring in the area around Gaza city, saying it “fails the test” of impartiality and raises “significant questions” about its findings.
The UN defines famine through the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a system that sets hard thresholds for "catastrophe". An IPC report last week found the famine in Gaza city and surrounds would extend to Deir Al Balah in the centre of Gaza and Khan Younis in the south by the end of next month.
But one of the report’s key authors has a “lengthy record of bias against Israel, including openly justifying the Houthis’ terrorist attacks on Israeli civilian targets", said Ms Shea, acting US ambassador to the UN.
“By his own measure, he ought to have recused himself. Explain why the normal standards were changed for this declaration,” she said.
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, identified the author as Andrew Seal, calling him “a radical anarchist who publicly accused Israel of genocide as early as October 2023".
Mr Danon called on the UN to immediately retract the “fabricated” report.
The report said famine is now affecting 500,000 people in the northern Gaza governorate. It projects the famine will expand to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in the coming months, putting about two thirds of Gaza's population at the highest level of catastrophic hunger.
Throughout the war, now in its 23rd month, Israel has severely restricted humanitarian access into Gaza and at times completely cut it off. Israel says it enables aid and blames distribution problems on UN agencies.
Eden Bar Tal, director general of Israel's Foreign Ministry, told a media conference that Israel would share “evidence” of misconduct in the report’s preparation with the IPC’s donors if the organisation fails to comply “within a short time".
Somalia’s ambassador Abukar Osman told Council members the latest IPC findings had removed “any doubt” about what is happening in Gaza.
“Let us be absolutely clear, famine in Gaza is not an act, natural occurrence, caused by drought, failed harvest or sudden, catastrophic beyond human control. It's man-made, deliberately created through a siege, blockade and systematic obstruction by Israelis,” Mr Osman said.
Palestine’s envoy Riyad Mansour challenged Mr Danon’s criticism of the UN-backed famine report, urging a fact-finding mission to Gaza.
“If all these things are fabricated and cannot be trusted, go and investigate, so that we can have an agreement over the truth, and then decide what is needed,” Mr Mansour said.
“Why don't you go there and investigate the situation and take with you hundreds of journalists to report? If all of the UN reports are biased, and if the report of the IPC is not accurate, go and investigate, take journalists."
All UN Security Council members, except the US, said the famine in Gaza is a “man-made crisis”.
In a joint statement following the Security Council meeting, the 14 council members called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, a substantive surge of aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on aid delivery.
"Famine in Gaza must be stopped immediately," they said."Time is of the essence. The humanitarian emergency must be addressed without delay and Israel must reverse course."
ESSENTIALS
The flights
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Where to stay
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The stats
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Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
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The five pillars of Islam
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The years Ramadan fell in May
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
