Who is the chef who can change the history of the war in Gaza

Gianluca Mercuri – Corriere della Sera

What if, where neither the American president, nor his secretary of state, nor the head of the CIA, nor the "sanctity" of the Pentagon can, a great chef can? What if instead of Joe Biden, it was José Andrés who would convince/force Israel to change the course of the war in Gaza?

The question may seem provocative, in the middle of a destructive conflict that in 6 months has caused about 35 thousand victims, almost 33 thousand Palestinians and almost two thousand Israelis. However, there is no lack of observers convinced that the outrage caused by the massacre of workers of the NGO World Central Kitchen, carried out by Israeli forces on Tuesday, is a turning point in this war. It's certainly not the first "accident" involving aid workers in the Gaza Strip - Amira Hass, in Haaretz, points out that hundreds have already died, "but they were Palestinians and the world didn't notice," but Tuesday's is the one which seems to have shocked America, its capital and its leader the most.

In recent months, there has certainly not been a shortage of reactions condemning Israeli behavior on the part of Biden, but the tone with which he commented on the inexplicable massacre that struck the staff of WCK was not at all common.

"I am outraged and outraged," the US president said in a statement, stressing that "this is not an isolated incident" and saying that "Israel has not done enough to protect humanitarian workers who are desperately trying to deliver aid necessary for civilians".

Why the death of Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, John Chapman, Jacob Flickinger, Zomi Frankcom, James Henderson, James Kirby and Damian Sobol affected Washington so much - well explained by R. David Harden, an operator who perfectly knows the world of cooperation international (he has worked there for years) and the US capital is his home.

“WCK enjoys unparalleled social credit in Washington. José Andrés, the celebrity chef and entrepreneur who founded it, is well-loved in Washington. Everyone in the foreign policy community, whether in the White House, the State Department, the US Agency for International Development or think tanks, has dined at Zaytinya, Jaleo, Minibar or other restaurants owned by José Andrés. For those not from Washington, it's hard to underestimate Chef Andrés' popularity and his connection to Washington culture and the political establishment."

For those who are not celebrity culinary experts, it is helpful to explain who José Andrés is.

In short, he is a genius of cooking, communication and social relations, as well as a great person, a true philanthropist like the "tapas" he cooks.

Born in Asturias and raised in Barcelona, ??he landed in New York at the age of 20 in 1990 with $50 in his pocket, moved to Washington three years later and built an empire, exporting the cult of Iberian mini-cookies to USA.

But above all, he managed to combine professional success with extraordinary social protagonism. Instead of locking himself in his kitchen, he made his kitchen a humanitarian center and exported it to the world. He founded WCK in 2010, impressed by the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Since then, there hasn't been a natural disaster, humanitarian crisis or conflict that hasn't seen his organization help disaster-stricken civilian populations in the most beneficial way possible: by feeding them.

A global vocation, but also carefully centered in the American capital, as Harden further explains: “The chef is also a Washington institution and a local hero. He started the journey during the fifth game of the 2019 World Series, in which the Nationals baseball team finally took the championship. Andrés used Nationals Park to prepare 900,000 meals during Covid, and also provided meals to furloughed state workers during successive lockdowns. Andrés brings with him tremendous reputational credibility, innovation in humanitarian operations and sophisticated geopolitical acumen."

For all these reasons, the expert is convinced that "chef José Andrés can really determine the direction of Israel's war in Gaza".

Why? Because the perfect credibility that he has won everywhere, he has been able to repeat in the ongoing conflict of the Middle East, with an equidistance made not by the political balancing act, but by the concrete help for the innocent victims from all sides.

As Andrés himself recalled in his speech two days ago in the New York Times that went around the world: “From day one, we have fed the Israelis and the Palestinians. Across Israel, we served more than 1.75 million hot meals. We feed families displaced by Hezbollah rockets in the north. We feed grieving families in the South. We sent food to the hospitals where the hostages were reunited with their families. We have repeatedly, continuously and passionately called for the release of all hostages".

Andrés underlines that he has managed to build fruitful relations both with the Israeli civil and military authorities, with "community leaders" in Gaza and with Arab countries, because "there is no other way to bring a ship full of food to Gaza" .

"We have served more than 43 million meals in Gaza, preparing hot food in 68 community kitchens where Palestinians feed Palestinians."

Është një pikë kyçe sepse Andrés dhe WCK kanë demonstruar se si është e mundur të ndihmohet një popullsi e rraskapitur edhe në mes të luftës, nëse të paktën të gjitha palët bien dakord për këtë, dhe nëse pala më e fortë e lejon këtë.

Ky është konteksti që shpjegon indinjatën e shprehur nga shefi i kuzhinës me tone të gjalla, rezultat i emocionit për vdekjen e shtatë punëtorëve të tij - të cilin ai refuzon ta konsiderojë të rastësishme - dhe i vëzhgimit se si katastrofa e Gazës është pasojë e qëllimshme e disa zgjedhjeve. Deklarata e José Andrés është në të njëjtën kohë një aktakuzë kundër pjesës së Izraelit që po i jep një kthesë të papranueshme një lufte fillimisht legjitime dhe një apel për pjesën e Izraelit që po lufton për të rivendosur legjitimitetin në luftë, domethënë për ta parandaluar atë.

Andrés shkruan: “Ne i njohim izraelitët. Izraelitët, thellë në zemrat e tyre, e dinë se ushqimi nuk është një armë lufte. Izraeli është më i mirë se mënyra se si po zhvillohet kjo luftë. Është më mirë se bllokada e vendosur ndaj ushqimeve dhe ilaçeve për civilët. Është më mirë sesa të vriten punonjësit e ndihmës që kishin koordinuar lëvizjet e tyre me ushtrinë izraelite. Qeveria izraelite duhet të hapë më shumë rrugë tokësore për ushqim dhe ilaçe sot. Ajo duhet të ndalojë vrasjen e civilëve dhe punonjësve humanitarë sot. Udhëtimi i gjatë drejt paqes duhet të fillojë sot. Në rastin më të keq, pas sulmit më të keq terrorist në historinë e tij, është koha që më e mira e Izraelit të shkëlqejë. Ju nuk mund t'i shpëtoni pengjet duke bombarduar çdo ndërtesë në Gaza. Kjo luftë nuk mund të fitohet duke zhytur në krizë urie një popullsi të tërë. Ne mirëpresim premtimin e qeverisë për të nisur një hetim se si dhe pse u vranë anëtarët e familjes sonë World Central Kitchen. Ky hetim duhet të fillojë nga lart, jo vetëm nga poshtë. Kryeministri Benjamin Netanyahu tha për vrasjen izraelite të ekipit tonë: "Kjo ndodh në luftë". Ky ishte një sulm i drejtpërdrejtë ndaj automjeteve të shënuara qartë, lëvizjet e të cilave ishin të njohura për ushtrinë izraelite”.

Këto janë tone që nuk janë befasuese, që vijnë nga një personalitet i demonstruar si luftarak dhe me mendjemprehtësi politike kur përplaset me Donald Trump.

Vitet e fundit ai kishte hapur një restorant në një nga hotelet e miliarderit ish-President. Por në vitin 2016, kur Trump e karakterizoi hyrjen e tij në politikë me racizëm sistematik ndaj emigrantëve hispanikë, ai theu kontratën. Trump e paditi atë, ai e paditi Trumpin. Çështja përfundoi me një zgjidhje gjyqësore dhe shenjtërimin e vendosmërisë së Andres. Ajo që Netanyahu po përjeton tani.

Tani, përtej polemikave politike, pika konkrete që ngre Andrés është: “A duam të parandalojmë që popullsia e Gazës të vdesë nga uria apo jo?”.

The danger is compounded by the fact that, after the incident, not only WCK, but also two other US NGOs that played a vital role, Anera and Project Hope, suspended operations in Gaza. A loss added to that of UNRWA, the UN agency criminalized in its entirety for the participation of a dozen of its members in the October 7 incursion.

The key word here is "deconflict". This means that humanitarian operations can only resume if Israel guarantees the creation of safe channels. The paradox, David Harden explains, is that the Jewish state risks being forced to personally manage the rescue of Palestinian civilians. This means Israel "may soon find itself without humanitarian partners on the ground in Gaza, with 2.2 million Palestinians facing undeniable food insecurity and a globally unacceptable risk of starvation."

For this reason, the only practical course is for Israel to build, deploy and manage an advanced, disciplined and accountable deconfliction system in which humanitarian operators, including international NGOs and United Nations agencies, coordinate movements and logistics with Israeli commands to establish safe spaces or free passage for operators and supplies. In this deconfliction system, there can be no mistakes.

From this point of view, in short, the political-humanitarian pressure of chef José Andrés can "change the course of the war". Convincing all actors, starting with the main one, to feed the civilians of Gaza.