JTA — Former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government for perpetuating the starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, accusing them of bearing responsibility for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
In an interview Monday morning on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” Emanuel, who is Jewish, accused Netanyahu of refusing to acknowledge allegations of starvation in the Strip.
“It has nothing to do with Israel’s security. You need to get food into that area, Gaza, to feed the people there and stop enforcing some type of collective punishment on the people of Gaza,” Emanuel said.
When asked by Blitzer whether he was “blaming Israel for what’s going on in Gaza,” Emanuel replied, “They are responsible.”
“I am putting this at the doorstep of where it belongs, and the idea the prime minister just yesterday says there’s no starvation, people’s eyes do not lie to them,” said Emanuel. “And so I think in this case, from a strategic standpoint, from a moral standpoint, and from a political standpoint, it’s fully bankrupt.”
Netanyahu posted on X Monday, “There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza.” US President Donald Trump voiced skepticism of Netanyahu’s statement on Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes then-White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emmanuel at the PM’s office in Jerusalem,on May 26 2010. (Ariel Jerozolimski/Flash 90)
Emanuel, a Democrat, joins a growing chorus of American Jewish leaders and organizations calling on Israel to do more to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. International pressure on Jerusalem has mounted amid increasingly urgent reports of starvation in the enclave and near-daily killings at aid distribution sites. On Sunday, Israel announced that it would pause military operations in some parts of Gaza for 10 hours a day to facilitate the distribution of aid to civilians and increase the flow of supplies.
Emanuel’s connections to Israel are particularly deep. His father is Israeli, he volunteered as a civilian with the Israel Defense Forces as a young adult and has been a frequent visitor to the country. He made the comments amid a series of interviews as he eyes a potential 2028 presidential bid in a Democratic Party where support for Israel is waning sharply.
He also told Blitzer that Netanyahu had failed to devise a “day-after plan” for the enclave. And he echoed Israeli concerns about repeated Israel Defense Forces reservist tours during the nearly 22-month-old war.
“He was warned 18 months ago, you have to have a day-after plan,” Emanuel continued. “The idea that you’re calling Israeli soldiers up on the third or fourth tour of duty to shoot at hungry people trying to get food shows you how bankrupt this entire policy is.”
In addition to serving as Chicago’s mayor, Emanuel has also served as US ambassador to Japan during the Joe Biden administration and in positions in the Barack Obama and Bill Clinton administrations.
Rahm Emanuel with his family and the late Israeli president Shimon Peres (Amos Ben Gershom/Flash 90)
Over the last week, speaking separately with Bari Weiss of The Free Press and on SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show,” he has emphasized his support for Israel as a “Jewish democratic state” and also his history of clashes with Netanyahu.
“I’m also the only person who has gone toe-to-toe publicly with Bibi Netanyahu,” he told Weiss while excoriating the war in Gaza as Netanyahu has prosecuted it.
Later in the CNN interview on Monday, Emanuel also invoked Shabbat while condemning Israel’s lack of efficacy at distributing aid in the region.
“On Friday nights, when you do Sabbath and the prayers over the candles, the wine and the challah bread, I have never remembered the prayer for starving children,” said Emanuel. “That Israel is participating in this, perpetuating it — wrong on every level.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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