Uzra Zeya (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 55 years old) has spent countless hours in recent weeks alleviating the suffering of the people of Gaza caused by the Israeli military offensive. The US undersecretary of state for civil security, democracy and human rights believes that Israel’s offensive in Gaza must comply with international law, but rejects the possibility of a ceasefire declaration, saying it would benefit Hamas. After traveling to Paris and Cairo to coordinate and expedite the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Zeya met on Thursday in Madrid with Ángeles Moreno, Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs, and gave an interview to EL PAÍS.
Questions. Is the US government doing enough to minimize civilian deaths in Gaza?
Answer. We are working intensively to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs, maximize, expand and accelerate the flow of assistance and reduce harm to civilians. We are in constant contact with our Israeli counterparts to try to alleviate the suffering of the population, because although the United States, like Spain, strongly supports Israel’s right to self-defense, international law, including humanitarian law, must be respected. Our diplomatic efforts also focused on securing the departure of thousands of foreigners trapped in Gaza, including approximately 140 Spaniards.
Q [El secretario de Estado, Antony] Blinken declared a few days ago that “too many Palestinians have died, too many are suffering.” Is the Israeli government heeding Washington’s demands?
R. Blinken has deplored the devastating toll of civilian casualties in this crisis, which began with the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks that left more than 1,200 people dead, including citizens of more than 30 nationalities. We deeply regret any civilian deaths and are speaking to Israel about how it conducts its self-defense. And we have received constructive responses from them, such as humanitarian tactical pauses and the creation of two humanitarian corridors, which have allowed many civilians to safely leave northern Gaza and go to areas in the south where they receive humanitarian assistance can.
Q The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Wednesday calling on Israel and Hamas to agree on “humanitarian pauses” and to allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip “for a sufficient number of days,” as well as “immediately and called for the unconditional release of all hostages held by the fundamentalist militia. Why did the United States abstain?
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R. For two reasons. The resolution does not condemn the unimaginable terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7th, and we find it very difficult to understand why there are countries that reject it. On the other hand, this does not affect the fact that countries have the right to defend themselves against terrorism, which many countries, such as Spain, support. However, we support the call for the release of the hostages and the introduction of longer humanitarian breaks.
Q Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, asserted a few days ago that both Israel and Hamas had committed war crimes. Do you agree with him?
R. There is no doubt that Hamas has indiscriminately attacked civilians and taken people of all ages hostage, from babies to Holocaust survivors. And these are obvious war crimes. As for Israel’s actions, we are constantly monitoring the situation. War crimes is a term that we use with great caution and only after analyzing all the facts. And we firmly believe that Israel is committed to minimizing civilian deaths, although we are aware that Hamas uses civilians as human shields and hospitals and schools to store weapons and direct its operations uses, which makes their task more difficult. Israel. Hamas’s tactics place Israel in a much more complicated situation, but do not relieve it of its obligation to comply with international law.
Q Hamas accuses the United States of giving Israel the green light to siege and attack Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip. [El portavoz del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional, John] Kirby has denied this. Does the US have a clear position on the attacks on hospitals where thousands of civilians are seeking refuge from bombs?
R. Our position is very clear. Even the president [Joe] Biden has made it very clear that civilians, patients and hospital staff must be protected. And we have communicated to all levels of the Israeli government that hospitals must function properly so that doctors can save lives. However, there is considerable information about how Hamas has long used civilian infrastructure such as hospitals to manage its operations.
The US Secretary of State, on Thursday after the interview. Jaime Villanueva
Q Is the US already working on what the future Gaza Strip will look like after the end of the Israeli offensive?
R. Absolutely. We believe, like Spain, that the only lasting solution is that of the two states. And there are certain points that we strongly oppose: the forced displacement of Gazans, that the Gaza Strip is a platform for terrorist attacks on Israel, that it remains blocked or reoccupied, and finally that there is a reduction in the size of the territory of the Gaza Strip Palestinian enclave. The future government of Gaza must be guided by the hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people, but we believe that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. In the long term, we must work with the Palestinian Authority, with governments in the region and with our transatlantic allies, not only to find a lasting solution, but also on the mechanisms for rebuilding Gaza.
Q Support for Israel among US citizens has plummeted in recent weeks. Some recent polls show that more than 70% of the population believes the Israeli government should declare a ceasefire, and less than a third of Americans favor continuing to send weapons to their main Middle East ally. Do you find this worrying?
R. The United States is a strong democracy that welcomes debate about our foreign policy. What we do not share are calls for Israel to stop defending itself against terrorism, which would mean a permanent ceasefire. Hamas must not be allowed to repeat acts like those of October 7th. We are deeply concerned about the rise of anti-Semitic acts in the United States and around the world, but also the rise of Islamophobia, including the horrific murder of Wadea al Fayoume, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy who was stabbed to death. [a mediados de octubre en Illinois] just because of his origins.
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