Hundreds of senior European diplomats urge urgent action over Gaza crisis
The letter, published today (26 August), warns that if the European Union (EU) fails to act collectively, member states must step in individually or in smaller groups to support human rights and uphold international law, reports The Guardian.
A group of 209 former EU ambassadors, senior diplomatic staff and ambassadors from EU member states have signed a public letter calling for urgent action over Israel's war in Gaza and its unlawful actions in the West Bank.
The letter, published today (26 August), warns that if the European Union (EU) fails to act collectively, member states must step in individually or in smaller groups to support human rights and uphold international law, reports The Guardian.
It outlines nine possible approaches, including suspending arms export licenses, banning trade in goods and services with illegal settlements, and barring European datacentres from handling data from Israeli government or commercial sources linked to its "presence and activities in Gaza and elsewhere in the occupied territories."
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Among the signatories are 110 former ambassadors, 25 former director generals, and two of the EU's most senior diplomats – Alain Le Roy, former secretary general of the European External Affairs Service, and Carlo Trojan, former secretary general of the European Commission.
"This struck a chord," said Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, former EU representative to the Palestinian territory and part of a steering group of six former diplomats coordinating the initiative, which began in mid-July.
This letter marks the third public call for action, and the first urging nations to act individually if the EU does not act as a bloc. A proposal to partly suspend Israel from the Horizon research fund over Gaza failed in late July.
"There is such dismay now within the institutions, people are saying enough is enough," Kühn von Burgsdorff said.
"We can't stay paralysed if the 27 (member states) can't take action, that betrays our values. So we have proposed nine actions that can be taken at the state level or by groups of states."
"European governments are losing credibility not just in the global south but with our own citizens, in every member state." He cited polling from his native Germany, traditionally a staunch supporter of Israel, showing 80% of the population disagree with Israel's actions in Gaza and two-thirds want the government to take action.
