The European Union, France, and Britain have strongly condemned the comments made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (far-right), who stated that "letting the residents of the Gaza Strip die of hunger" could be "justifiable and ethical." During a seminar held on Monday regarding the future of Gaza, where Israel has been engaged in war for 10 months against Hamas, the Israeli minister remarked that "no one in the world will allow us to starve two million people, although this may be justified and ethical in order to release the prisoners" held in the territory since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7.
He added: "We are allowing humanitarian aid to enter because we have no other choice. We are in a field that requires us to have international legitimacy to wage this war."
Smotrich's comments sparked outrage in the international community. The European Union stated in a press release that it "strongly condemns" these remarks. It further pointed out that Smotrich's assertion that it might be "justifiable and ethical" for Israel to "starve two million civilians to death" until "the return of the prisoners" is "extremely shameful." The EU emphasized in its statement that it expects "the Israeli government to unequivocally distance itself from Minister Smotrich's comments."
Meanwhile, France expressed its "grave shock at the outrageous comments" made by Smotrich. A spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry, speaking to reporters, stated that France calls on the Israeli government to "strongly condemn these unacceptable remarks."
In London, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated via the X app that there can be "no justification" for Smotrich's comments on behalf of the United Kingdom. The British minister urged the Israeli government to "retract and condemn his statements," adding that deliberately starving civilians "is considered a war crime."
