"Don't force us to pick who is allowed to receive help," Aid orgs. say about Middle East
Aid organizations fear that polarization about the Middle East will result in fewer donations to Giro555 for the people who desperately need aid. They therefore made an urgent appeal: Don’t force us to choose who is allowed to receive aid, the fundraiser chair Harm Goossens told Nieuwsuur.
The Giro555 campaign for victims of war in the Middle East has so far raised over 1.1 million euros for people in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria, and Israel. There has been a lot of criticism since the campaign launched last week. Some don’t want donation money to go to Israel because it is a rich country receiving millions in military aid, others say that donations to Gaza and Lebanon will end up with Hamas or Hezbollah.
“It is good that there is discussion, but the discussion is not enough about the people who need help,” Goossens said. He is the campaign chair of Giro555 and chairman of the Dutch Red Cross. “Our humanitarian principle is that we are there for everyone, everyone in need, wherever they are.”
The distribution key for the donations between the areas in the Middle East is still being determined, but the lion’s share of donations will go to Gaza and Lebanon, he said. The money will go toward providing food, water, and medical care.
“We are estimating where the need is greatest. By far the most money will go to Lebanon and Gaza, but money will certainly also go to Israel because there are people in need there too,” Goosens said. “In Gaza, many people sleep in self-built tents made of plastic sheeting full of holes, held together by branches. In Israel, there is need for trauma care and psychological support.”
Goossens stressed that the support will go to the people who need it. The aid organizations won’t give money to the Israeli government, Hamas, or Hezbollah. “We all work with local partners and we monitor very closely where our supplies go. Of course, a food package will undoubtedly end up in the wrong hands, but we really focus on helping people in need through our local partners.”
The national fundraising day for Giro555 will happen on Wednesday, October 16. RTL, Talpa, and the NPO will pay attention to it, but unlike a similar fundraiser for Ukraine in 2022, the campaign won’t get a full evening of undivided attention.
Arjan Lock of the College of Broadcasters called that “very appropriate” because “it is a subject that requires care.” He also told Nieuwsuur that two smaller broadcasters won’t participate, without saying which ones. “It is all about helping people. And the vast majority of broadcasters are wholeheartedly willing to give substance to that.”
