Columbia University professors Awi Federgruen and Ran Kivetz have presented research findings asserting that sufficient food supplies are entering Gaza, disputing claims of famine perpetuated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations (UN, The Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday.
Professors Federgruen, Chair of Columbia University Business School’s Decision, Risk and Operations Division, and Kivetz, the Philip H. Geier Professor at Columbia University Business School, have analyzed extensive data from sources such as COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) and the UN.
They argue that the narrative blaming Israel for causing famine in Gaza is a “myth” and that sufficient humanitarian aid is being provided.
They pointed to a March 2024 report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an arm of the UN, which predicted a major famine in Gaza allegedly provoked by Israel. This report, they argue, has been misinterpreted and used to propagate false accusations.
Federgruen and Kivetz emphasize that their analysis is based on hard data, demonstrating that the food supply entering Gaza is more than sufficient to meet the needs of its 2.2 million residents. They calculate that 250 truckloads, each carrying 20 tons of food, provide 2.25 kilograms of food per person daily, aligning with the average North American diet.
Ah yes, the same kind of logic that proves that nobody in the United States is starving because we have far more food available per person than needed.
It checks out since food is perfectly evenly distributed all the time, especially during violent conflicts!