Glasgow Community Food Network Board and Food and Climate Action project team believe in the right to food as part of the international right to an adequate standard of living, first laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). We believe that civilians in Gaza are being denied this right as a result of the ongoing attacks in the area.
We recognise the suffering and loss felt by Israel's people after the attacks of October 7th. Nevertheless, this cannot be used to justify the deprivation of the Palestinian people of food and other essential supplies.
We look to statements made by Slow Food Glasgow, who state that “Food must never be used as a war weapon” and Propagate, who shared a statement from اتحاد لجان العمل الزراعي (UAWC) Union of Agricultural Work Committees, a Palestinian organisation which reads:
“Historically, Gaza has been an epicenter of rich agricultural production, feeding not only its own residents but also serving as a vital food resource in the region. But the recent waves of Israeli aggression and sustained blockades have crippled this once-thriving sector. The disruption of essential imports, coupled with the inaccessibility to local farmlands due to conflict, has left the people of Gaza with dwindling food resources.”
We look to these statements as a way of contextualising our position as a community food oriented organisation based and operating within Glasgow.
We ask, what can we do? What can you do?
Buy from Palestinian food producers. Zaytoun is a social enterprise supporting Palestinian farmers through fair trade, backed by the Fairtrade Foundation and The Soil Association, amongst others. Their products are also available to buy in shops such as Oxfam (see Zayotun’s stockist map)
Donate money, if you can, for food aid.
- MATW-Project: Essential Family Food Pack
- Donate to the World Food Programme
- Human Appeal, which includes a detail of donations that can contributed to provide a food parcel for a family of 10 for 1 month.
- Al Mustafa Welfare Trust which also includes a detail of donations that can be contributed to provide a food parcel for a family for 1 month
To find out more about movements for liberation through agroecology and food sovereignty in Palestine, visit Growing Palestine
Sign the UK Govt Petition for a Ceasefire - as Slow Food Glasgow note, even “When food is not weaponized, conflicts severely affect people's access to food, making attempts to achieve #foodsecurity for all null and void.”
N.B. This statement does not necessarily reflect the views of our Food and Climate Action project partners or our network membership.
References:
Right to food (no date) Right to Food | Scottish Human Rights Commission. Available at: https://www.scottishhumanrights.com/our-law-and-policy-work/right-to-food/#:~:text=The%20right%20to%20food%20in%20international%20law%20is%20part%20of,of%20the%20Child%2C%20article%2027. (Accessed: 07 November 2023).
McDougal, T.L. (2023) Gaza depends on UN and other global aid groups for food, medicine and basic services – israel-hamas war means nothing is getting in, The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/gaza-depends-on-un-and-other-global-aid-groups-for-food-medicine-and-basic-services-israel-hamas-war-means-nothing-is-getting-in-215514#:~:text=Israel%20stopped%20allowing%20deliveries%20of,preparing%20for%20a%20ground%20invasion. (Accessed: 07 November 2023).
(2023) Facebook, Slow Food Glasgow. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/photo...(Accessed: 07 November 2023).
Propagate Statement on the Crisis in Gaza and Call for a Ceasefire Now, October 2023 (2023) Statement on Gaza crisis. Available at: https://www.propagate.org.uk/s... (Accessed: 07 November 2023).