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Just eat it, she'd say. Think of the poor starving children in Africa and what they'd give for a meal like this.
She's long gone now, but Mother's words echoed through the decades the other day as I watched one of the ugliest scenes to come out of the Gaza conflict.
It wasn't another bloodied child screaming in terror or a mother weeping over a tiny white shroud laid out in the ruins of a hospital. Those dreadful scenes have become so commonplace, we've almost become inured to them.
Instead, it was footage of well-fed hardline Israeli activists ambushing an aid convoy, setting fire to trucks and strewing its cargo of food destined for Palestine all over the road. The drifts of much-needed rice and flour, the spilled cartons of tinned food, the venom in their faces - it was horrifying. I wondered what starving families in Gaza or their relatives watching from other countries would make of it.
A dismayed Israeli onlooker spoke to the camera, tearful and ashamed, decrying the waste. She explained how she'd been brought up valuing food, that she'd pick up bread dropped on the floor and kiss it. No food should ever be wasted, she said, especially if meant for hungry people.
Voices more powerful than hers were also raised.
"It is a total outrage that there are people who are attacking and looting these convoys coming from Jordan going to Gaza to deliver humanitarian assistance," said US national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Germany's ambassador to Israel said such actions "certainly won't help the Israeli cause of freeing the hostages and securing the country against the terror of Hamas".
When your best friends are telling you to get your act together, you should take notice.
Just as there are no excuses for Hamas's October 7 massacres, rapes and hostage-taking, using starvation as a weapon is also abhorrent. Turning a blind eye to attacks on aid convoys, as the Israeli police reportedly did, only pushes the country further into isolation. Two wrongs never make a right.
Yesterday was the 76th anniversary of the declaration of the state of Israel. What was once a day of celebration has morphed into one of introspection as Israel wonders what sort of state it has become.
In the influential Israeli news outlet Haaretz last week, Anshel Pfeffer lamented the mindset governing his country's prosecution of the war in Gaza: "After being caught by surprise on October 7, it could have responded like a state, with a combination of military and diplomatic moves, with a coherent strategy. Instead, it has elevated Hamas, a much weaker enemy, to the level of an existential threat. It is a mindset that has not only served to empower Hamas, despite the massive losses it has taken and even greater ones it has incurred on the people of Gaza, but to delegitimise a justified war in the eyes even of those in the world who support Israel."
If anything, the activists who prevent humanitarian aid getting to Gaza are aiding and abetting Hamas in the war for the world's hearts and minds.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is starvation ever a legitimate weapon? Should the US do more to make Israel abide by international humanitarian law? Has Israel done exactly what Hamas wanted with its actions in Gaza? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- David McBride will appeal after being sentenced to at least two years and three months behind bars for leaking classified defence information revealing alleged war crimes. Justice David Mossop sentenced McBride to an aggregated five years and eight months in prison for three charges in the ACT Supreme Court.
- Smaller grocers have slammed the business tactics used by retail giants, telling a Queensland inquiry they have been "annihilated" by major supermarket chains. A day after Coles and Woolworths were grilled by Premier Steven Miles, the likes of IGA and Foodworks vented their frustration at the Brisbane pricing probe on Tuesday.
- Riots, fires and protests in New Caledonia have prompted a travel warning for tourists heading to the South Pacific paradise amid the closure of Nouméa's La Tontouta International Airport. Flights to Nouméa have been cancelled and a curfew imposed on the island from 6pm on May 14 to 6am on May 15.
THEY SAID IT: "Misery, mutilation, destruction, terror, starvation and death characterise the process of war and form a principal part of the product." - Lewis Mumford
YOU SAID IT: Restaurants are struggling during the cost-of-living crisis but adding surcharges won't win them any friends.
Jim's not sure about Sunday surcharges, which reflect the cost of weekend trading, however: "The surcharge that I, as a retired accountant, object to is the one on card use as the costs to a business of cash are generally higher than cards, particularly the insurance."
The Sunday surcharge doesn't bother Kirsty either: "If you don't want to pay extra to have people serve you on a Sunday stay home. People deserve to be fairly compensated for working unsociable hours, including on the weekends."
Louise writes: "On Anzac Day, fellows met up, later went to a restaurant (not flash) got the bill - 20 per cent surcharge."
Scott lives in a foodie destination: "There is a trend for nearly all new restaurateurs in believing that they must cater for the high, niche end of the market to make a profit. There was a saying floated by an economist years ago where, when you increase your prices by 5 per cent you lose 20 per cent business, but if you decrease your prices by 5 per cent (and advertise it) you can increase business by 20 per cent. The theory is why I believe that economists should run businesses and not accountants!" He adds: "Indeed the only dining demographic that has survived reliably in this town is this lower to middle end of the market. They work commendably hard to maintain their local businesses, and we support them as much as we can."
"The Sunday surcharge in some restaurants has always stuck in my craw, akin to a fish bone unsuspectedly consumed in the frantic rush to eat whilst at the same time conducting a sparkling conversation with one's fellow diners," writes Robert. "Recently in suburban Sydney a new practice has surfaced in pubs on a public holiday, where, after marching up to the bar and ordering a nice cold schooner you find that a 10 per cent surcharge has been surreptitiously added to the price, completely ignoring the poker machines working overtime in the room next door, generating rivers of gold that pour into the coffers of the the poor cash-strapped publican! There is absolutely no financial justification for this highway robbery. At least the restaurants can claim that they don't have access to 30 poker machines working non-stop!"
"That explained the state of the economy better than most commentators," writes Murray. "When new restaurants are opening and middle Australia is eating out occasionally, even if not often, the economy is doing okay. Now people can't afford to go out for a meal with family or friends, because the cost of living is hurting them. Times are tough for a lot of people. The politicians will boast about surpluses and how great they are doing at managing the economy. They lie. If you want to know how healthy the economy is, look at the number of restaurants with closed signs on the door."
Garry writes: "A meal at one of our better clubs costs just under $30 if you include just one drink with it and that's the bistro. Choose the more expansive and expensive menu and the price rises exponentially. A recent round for five of us cost $150+ and that was just fish and chips and a soft drink. A steak averages between $35 and $45 plus sides, even a choice of topping and a beer gets close to $60. The humble schnitzel hits just under $30 except for 'budget' Tuesday. After a $60 course in barbecue cooking some years ago, I will happily prepare my own steaks, thank you, as I find the average club steak can be far from perfect."