As long as we are discussing the dhimmitude of certain American institutions, what about this one? The Harvard Middle East Studies Institute produces a factoid that the 800,000 (or 1.5 million) residents of Gaza require 680,000 tonnes of flour per day to survive. So each resident requires almost a half tonne (or a tonne) of flour per day ? What do they do with it ? I thought they were starving. Let’s get our terms right, to begin with. A tonne is a metric ton or equivalent to 2200 pounds, more than an English ton which is 2,000 pounds. The article in the Boston Globe accuses the Israelis of a “stranglehold” on Gaza. With the residents eating all that much flour every day, maybe the Israelis are just worried about obesity.
Although Gaza daily requires 680,000 tons of flour to feed its population, Israel had cut this to 90 tons per day by November 2007, a reduction of 99 percent.
Let’s see. Ninety tons is 180,000 pounds or a quarter of a pound per person per day. Other sources put the average flour consumption at 350 to 450 tonnes per day. Any way you look at, it Harvard is putting out ridiculous propaganda, but then we knew that. The Harvard version is that it takes a ton of flour per day to ward off starvation.