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US Group Seeks to Run Gaza Ai 05/09 07:30
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- A group of American security contractors,
ex-military officers and humanitarian aid officials is proposing to take over
the distribution of food and other supplies in Gaza based on plans similar to
ones designed by Israel.
The Associated Press obtained a proposal from the newly created group, the
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to implement a new aid distribution system
supplanting the current one run by the U.N. and other international aid
agencies. The U.N. and aid groups have rejected Israel's moves to control aid
distribution.
It was not immediately clear if the proposal from the new group, which is
registered in Geneva, would ease those concerns.
Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine and all other supplies from entering
Gaza for 10 weeks, worsening a humanitarian crisis for 2.3 million
Palestinians. It has said it won't allow aid back in until a system is in place
that gives it control over distribution.
The 14-page proposal circulated this week among aid groups and U.N.
officials lays out plans similar to ones Israel has been discussing privately
for weeks with international aid groups. The proposal reveals for the first
time plans to create the foundation and names the people leading it.
A U.N. official said last week that Israel's plans would "weaponize aid" by
placing restrictions on who is eligible to receive it.
Aid workers have also criticized the plans, which would centralize
distribution at four hubs under the protection of private security contractors.
They say the plans could not possibly meet the needs of Gaza's large and
desperate population, and that they would forcibly displace large numbers of
Palestinians by driving them to move nearer to the aid.
Under the new group's proposal, Palestinians would receive pre-packaged
rations, potable water, hygiene kits, blankets, and other supplies at the
distribution hubs. The group said it wants to partner with the U.N. and
international aid groups in handing out their supplies.
A U.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the proposal and said the
former director of the U.N. World Food Program, David Beasley, is the lead
choice to run GHF. The proposal could still be revised and Beasley's role is
not confirmed, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to detail
plans that have not been made public.
Beasley, a former governor of South Carolina, didn't immediately respond to
messages seeking comment.
Israel accuses Hamas and other militants of siphoning off large amounts of
aid. The U.N and aid workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the
U.N. strictly monitors distribution.
When contacted Thursday for comment about GHF's proposal, Israeli officials
did not immediately respond.
U.S. backing for the foundation
The Trump administration supports the new group's proposal, said a person
involved in it. The person said GHF would work "within the confines" set by
Israel on aid but would be "independent and committed to humanitarian
principles" -- a nod to U.N. concerns. The person spoke on condition of
anonymity to discuss a plan not yet made public.
"This is a new approach with one focus: Get help to people. Right now," said
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
Ahead of his first trip to the Middle East this week, U.S. President Donald
Trump said "a lot of talk" was going on about Gaza and that his administration
will soon have more to say about a new proposal. This may include a new push
for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the release of hostages and an influx
of aid to Palestinians.
Aryeh Lightstone, a senior member of U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff's
team, was involved in briefing U.N. agencies and aid groups about the
foundation as they gathered in Geneva on Thursday, according to two
humanitarian workers briefed on the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to comment to the media.
Who's involved?
GHF's proposal names a 10-member leadership team that includes former senior
American military officers, business executives and officials from aid groups.
At least two of them have ties to private security companies.
Beasley is listed among them, but the proposal says his role is still "to be
finalized." Beasley is also a senior advisor to Fogbow, a private U.S. firm
that participated in the short-lived project delivering aid to Gaza by sea via
a U.S. military-built pier.
The AP contacted people listed in the proposal to confirm their
participation. Only one responded, saying he was "not on the board." The person
involved in planning said the list was still in flux.
How would it work?
According to the proposal, GHF would initially set up four distribution
sites, each serving 300,000 people. That would cover about half of Gaza's
population. The system would be scaled up to meet the needs of 2 million
people. But the proposal does not give a timeframe. Aid workers warn that food
is rapidly running out in Gaza under Israel's blockade.
The GHF proposal said subcontractors will use armored vehicles to transport
supplies from the Gaza border to distribution sites, where they will also
provide security. It said the aim is to deter criminal gangs or militants from
redirecting aid.
It did not specify who would provide security but said it could include
personnel who previously worked in the Netzarim Corridor, an Israeli-held zone
cutting off northern Gaza. A private security company, Safe Reach Solutions,
has operated in the corridor.
GHF said people will get assistance based on need with no eligibility
requirements. This appears to differ from proposals floated by Israel. Aid
workers say Israel has said it intends to vet aid recipients and screen them
using facial recognition.
What do aid groups say?
Throughout Israel's campaign in Gaza, the U.N. and other humanitarian groups
have been carrying out a massive aid program. They have trucked in supplies and
distributed them across the territory, going as close as possible to where
Palestinians were located.
What has chiefly hampered the system, aid workers have said, are Israeli
military operations and restrictions on movement, as well as the low amount of
aid allowed to enter even before the blockade. Convoys have also been attacked
by criminal groups stealing aid, and hungry Palestinians have sometimes taken
supplies from trucks.
Aid workers contacted by the AP cast doubt whether GHF would meet
humanitarian requirements for neutrality and independence.
Shaina Low, communications adviser for Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the
main organizations in Gaza, said aid groups are concerned the plan will be used
"to advance military and political goals."
By forcing the population to relocate around aid hubs, the system would
"depopulate entire parts of Gaza" and could be used to potentially expel the
population, she said.
"They are framing (the plan) to fix the problem that doesn't really exist,"
she said, referring to Israel's contention that it must prevent Hamas from
taking aid.
The use of private security companies has also alarmed humanitarian workers.
While it's common for private security firms to operate in conflict zones, they
have to respect humanitarian law and at a minimum be fully vetted and
monitored, said Jamie Williamson, executive director for the International Code
of Conduct Association.
Tamara Alrifai, communications director for the U.N. agency for Palestinian
refugees, which has led the aid effort it Gaza, said the plan was logistically
unworkable.
She said the foundation does not appear able to match the current
infrastructure needed to distribute food and address other humanitarian needs.
Alrifai called it "a very dangerous precedent" for countries to use "full
siege as a tactic of war" to force the abandonment of "existing aid structures
and the entire international system that exists and is recognized and start
creating a new system."
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