BRYCEGREENE, greenebj@iu.edu, @TheGreeneBJ
Greene just wrote the piece “The U.S. is manufacturing doubt about Gaza’s famine.”
He said today: “After a report from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, the Biden administration is attempting to foster a fake dispute over famine numbers in Gaza to obscure the reality of genocide.
“Based on the lack of aid and the number of people reported to be in the area, FEWS NET concluded that ‘it is highly likely that the food consumption and acute malnutrition thresholds for Famine (IPC Phase 5) have now been surpassed.’ The organization estimated that absent any change of Israeli policy, they predict that ‘non-trauma mortality levels will pass the Famine (IPC Phase 5) threshold between January and March 2025, with at least 2-15 people dying per day.’
“The day after the report was published, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, publicly denounced the report in a tweet. He claimed that FEWSNET’s report was ‘relying on inaccurate data’ and that ‘it is irresponsible to issue a report like this.’
“However, this complaint would only resonate with someone who has not actually read the report, which totals just three pages. While the report did cite the higher, earlier figures, to say this was the ‘basis of this report’ would be completely false. The sentence after FEWS NET cited OCHA’s November figures, and the report cited UNRWA’s smaller figures from December:
More recent satellite-derived imagery suggests thousands of people evacuated in early December, 1 and efforts are underway to update the estimated size of the remaining population; an update from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on December 22 suggests the population may be as low as 10,000-15,000
“The citation is clear that it is including the lower end of the numbers in their assessment:
The range of the estimated daily number of deaths (2-15 deaths per day, applying the crude death rate threshold for Famine of 2 deaths/10,000/day) captures the lowest possible base population for a Famine (IPC Phase 5) classification on the low end (10,000 people), and the maximum estimated base population (75,000 people) on the high end.
“Despite the baselessness of the State Department’s attack, FEWS NET succumbed to the pressure. The New York Times reported that the organization plans on adjusting its projections based on updated numbers — a surprising statement given that their current assessments included numbers from the day prior to publication. The Times also reported that FEWS Net stands by its assessment, but the report has been removed from their website (still accessible via the Wayback machine). In fact, while older reports on Gaza are still available, the FEWSNET interactive dashboard shows no information on Gaza at all.”
Greene concluded: “This phony dispute about the humanitarian reports in the North is designed to obscure these facts and pave the way for Israel’s continued assault on the people of Gaza. As Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, and numerous reports have corroborated, Israel has demonstrated a clear intent to commit genocidal acts against the Palestinians. U.S. officials and media have been instrumental in running cover for this crime.”