A deadly Israeli attack on a aid convoy this week that killed seven workers from the World Central Kitchen relief organization in the Gaza Strip has shocked Washington officials. In response, President Biden issued his sharpest public criticism of Israel to date, prompting the Israeli military to make an unprecedented admission of fault.
It also revealed the power of food, which tends to be an afterthought in domestic and international politics.
Celebrity chef Jose Andres, who built World Central Kitchen from a humble organization feeding hurricane victims to a $500 million relief organization working in conflict zones, said he was a big fan of Biden and Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has increased political pressure on both parties. White House officials announced Tuesday that they had spoken directly to Biden, and in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday he accused the Israel Defense Forces of “systematically” attacking the three-vehicle convoy.
On Thursday, Biden had a tense phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he threatened to put conditions on future aid to the country. Hours later, Israel announced it would allow more aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip. It also reduces civilian casualties and brokers a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people. He promised new measures.
I spoke to my colleague Kim Severson, a reporter who covers food for the New York Times and has written extensively about Andres, about the celebrity chef’s political activities and why these seven men are in a war that has already begun. We talked about why the worker’s death received so much attention. It was very deadly. The interview has been edited and condensed.
JB: José Andres is known as a famous chef who does relief work around the world and is not shy about political activities. How has his message changed this week?
KS: He started the week with express heartbreak He spoke about the death toll and called on Israel to open more land routes for food and medicine. But after the Israeli government announced that the deaths were an accident and, according to Netanyahu, “happened in a war,” the prime minister began calling it a targeted action. He was clearly trying to place the blame for all this on the Israeli government, and to some extent the Biden administration. His organization studied how the attack took place and was able to trace back the approval it received from the Israeli military before it began.
I think that’s when he really went into Jose Andres mode.
JB: What is “Full Jose Andres Mode”? What kind of political activity have we seen from him so far?
KS: Andres has repeatedly come into contact with Donald Trump and his administration, including when he withdrew from a restaurant he was planning to open at a hotel owned by Trump in response to Trump’s anti-immigration comments as a presidential candidate. fought. He clashed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over his involvement in hurricane relief efforts, particularly after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017.
Additionally, he owns many restaurants in Washington and is a charismatic figure who attracts attention there. He has a presence in government in a very interesting way that other chefs haven’t.
JB: Chefs getting involved in politics is nothing new. You previously wrote about how California chef Alice Waters convinced the Clinton administration to plant a vegetable garden on the roof of the White House. But Mr. Andres’ activities, and the way he appears to have shaped policy both here and in Israel this week, go far beyond that.
KS: There is a wave of chefs becoming more involved in politics. Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, who co-founded New York’s Gramercy Tavern, has been lobbying Congress on hunger and breaking the USDA’s grip on the food system. Recently, the James Beard Foundation organized a boot camp aimed at training chefs on how to create political change in their communities. Andres is a role model and someone who has followed this trend.
I think Mr. Biden understands that Mr. Andres is not one to stay silent on this issue, and he is well aware of what is really going on here.
JB: This war has been going on since October. Nearly 200 aid workers have already been killed in Gaza, according to the United Nations, and more than 30,000 civilians have also been killed, according to Gazan health authorities. Why do you think this particular attack resonated so widely politically?
KS: That’s really interesting. Aid was already extremely difficult. There were also reports of Palestinians drowning while trying to retrieve military aid.
In the United States, Jose Andrés is a celebrity, has a trusted organization, and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2018. He is well-connected, wealthy, and has a platform that he knows how to use.
Second, and this is very important, what World Central Kitchen does is deliver meals made by chefs and people who are experts in local food. They’re bringing comfort food to the people of this country, and it’s a very simple, non-bureaucratic mission. That’s something people can relate to. They cook these meals, making thousands of pitas every day and handing them out to people. They work in Gaza, they work in Israel. It’s pure in the philanthropic sense and has a dynamic celebrity at its head.
Read more from Kim:
How Jose Andrés and his cooks became leaders in disaster relief
Among American chefs, the war between Israel and Hamas has spilled over into food.
quote of the day
“Each of you will be tasked with hundreds of people. Do you think wearing a MAGA hat will attract 50% of those people?”
—Tyler Bowyer, Chief Operating Officer, Turning Point Action
My colleague Nick Colasaniti was able to attend a training initiative led by Turning Point Action, a conservative political group that is trying to erode Democrats’ huge advantage in early voting. This interesting nugget comes as right-wing groups that have spread falsehoods about past elections have asked new staff to tone down their outward displays of partisanship as they approach infrequent voters in a massive effort to extract votes. It shows how the instructions are given.
Read more about what Nick saw here.
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On Monday, I used my first newsletter to explain how the re-election between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, an election that at first glance seems a little tired, is just as fascinating and revealing as recent elections. So I explained why I think it’s going to be a completely consequential election. history.
Then I asked him what he thought.
Hundreds of people wrote in. Some of them respectfully told me that I was wrong. Some of you have spoken in less respectful ways. And many of you have told me that you’re also thinking a lot about the stakes of this election, the role you play as voters, and the path he’s charting for the future in 2024.
We want this newsletter to be a conversation with you, our readers, and in that spirit we’d like to share some of your responses.
Many of you have written to me to say that the election feels as bleak or pointless as ever.
“I’m an old guy,” says Martha Tuck of Sutton, Vermont. “I have never seen a situation where the stakes are so high and so ennui, so this morning I decided to ask everyone I met if they were registered and then ask them to vote.”
But there was also a lot to look forward to. Like me, you were genuinely interested in down-ballot races from California to Texas to New Jersey. And Nina Ruback of Blacksburg, Virginia, said she thought voter dissatisfaction would turn around.
“From their disappointment with Biden over the Gaza incident to their disdain for Trump, people are increasingly protesting, including sending mail to their representatives from the local to national level to express their views. “I’ve become more involved in local politics as well as national politics. My voice has been heard,” she wrote. “That’s beautiful.”
Some of you may be excited by the increased attention to third-party candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate and prominent anti-vaccine activist.
“I think this is the first time in my adult life that there is a real viable alternative to the two-party system,” said Amanda Albertson of San Diego. “I’m curious to see what happens.” Ta. (The same factors caused great fear in the rest of you.)
Many of you wrote letters to express your excitement at defeating the other side. “A real possibility has emerged to halt the Democratic Party’s relentless march toward turning America into a socialist country,” writes Jason Levitz of Queens, New York, and Kathleen Toomer of Miami. He said he is excited about the possibility of defeating him a second time.
And some of you are simply excited that this election is over.
“Honestly, I’m really excited for this election to be over,” wrote Karin Kemp of Charlotte, North Carolina.
—Additional report by taylor robinson
