Global economists, Nobelists write Netanyahu to stop starving Gaza
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Washington: A group of nearly two dozen economists, including Nobel Prize winners, wrote an open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging the Zionist ruler to immediately stop the starvation in the war-torn Gaza. The group of 23 economists urged Netanyahu to halt policies that deepen starvation in the enclave and abandon plans to force-evacuate Palestinians, Anadolu Agency reported.
The signatories included Nobel Prize winners Daron Acemoglu, Angus Deaton, Peter Diamond, Esther Duflo, Claudia Goldin, Eric Maskin, Roger Myerson, Edmund Phelps, Christopher Pissarides and Joseph Stiglitz, alongside other leading scholars such as Olivier Blanchard and Maurice Obstfeld.
The letter, which voiced concerns over Israel’s plans to concentrate Palestinians in its so-called “humanitarian city”, read, “As human beings and as economists and scientists, we call for an immediate halt to any policy that intensifies widespread starvation.”
The letter cited warnings by the UN World Food Program and reminded that nearly one-third of Gaza’s 2.1 million people are living without food for multiple days, and basic food prices are now 10 times higher than three months ago.
The letter pointed out that the collapse of UN aid distribution and its replacement by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which set a limited number of aid distribution points, has led to “deadly chaos”. The setting has taken the lives of more than 1,000 people, who were killed or wounded in firing or stampedes while queuing for scarce rations.
The letter then warned that confining hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the proposed “humanitarian city” would restrict them, stripping them of freedom of movement and dignity.
“It is unconscionable for Israel to treat civilians as liabilities to be contained rather than as human beings entitled to livable conditions,” the Anadolu Agency quoted from the letter.
Through the letter, the economists urged Netanyahu to restore sufficient food and medical aid. It called on Israel to repeal its relocation plans for Palestinians, reaffirm its commitment to human rights and international law. Also, Israel must actively pursue a ceasefire, secure the return of hostages and end the war, the letter said.