2023-10-30 12:26:05
Elon Musk enter fully into the guerra in the Middle East. After weeks of speculation, the American technology magnate confirmed this Saturday that will deploy its services internet by satellite (Starlink) in Gaza to provide connectivity to “internationally recognized aid organizations”, a decision that has outraged Israel.
His announcement came after Israel activated a telephone and network blackout on Friday that completely isolated citizens Palestinians who live in the Strip or who have taken refuge. Several humanitarian NGOs such as HIM or the World Health Organization (OMS) denounced that this telecommunications blockade was harming the operations of medical teams to try to save lives while the Israeli army expanded its ground and air assault on the territory.
A senior US official has explained to ‘The Wall Street Journal‘that the pressure of Washington He managed to convince Israel to back down and reestablish telephone and internet connections in Gaza.
Israel’s outrage
The leaders of the Hebrew State have been especially upset with Musk’s decision. Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhiassured that “Hamas will use it for terrorist activities” and that the country “will use all means at its disposal to fight this.” The minister announced that his office will “cut any ties” with SpaceXthe aerospace company owned by Musk and responsible for Starlink.
Beyond the announcement, there are questions about how it will be carried out. Musk himself assured in Xthe social network formerly known as Twitterthat “it is not clear who has the authority to agree on land links in Gaza” and that “no terminal has requested a connection in that area.”
Thus, it is unknown how the businessman could ensure that his satellite internet services are used only by humanitarian organizations and not by the Palestinian militia. Hamas, which controls that territory. Musk has said that his company “is not that naive” and that it would do “a security check with both the American and Israeli governments before turning on a single terminal.”
Reality or advertising?
Musk’s promises could fall on deaf ears. And it is clear from his statements that he would condition the deployment of Starlink in Gaza to the approval of Israel, whose leaders have already denounced that intention. Will the tycoon keep his word or is this a promotional act?
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Marc Owen Jones, associate professor of Near Eastern Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, explained to Al Jazeera that this deployment “It’s an impossibility“. “It would be difficult to smuggle and distribute Starlink terminals or antennas on a large scale into Gaza. It is unlikely that the Israeli government will allow its legal importation. But suppose Starlink came in. How will it be fed? Right now there is no fuel in Gaza.” The Strip has been under blockade since 2007 and there is only one border crossing that the Jewish State does not control: the southern one, managed by Egypt.
Starlink in Ukraine
It is not the first time that Musk activates Starlink in a conflict zone. After the invasion launched by Russia In February 2022, the businessman lent his constellation of thousands of low-orbit satellites to maintain internet access in different isolated points of Ukraine. Ukrainian commanders have confirmed that these services have been crucial to the country’s survival. However, some of Musk’s decisions have also irritated Kiev, such as when he decided not to activate Starlink in the occupied Crimean peninsula, which thwarted an attack against the Russian fleet. This enormous influence worries several countries.
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