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Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Urgent action demanded: Gaza on brink of catastrophe: over 1500 EU staff
ISLAMABAD: A group of over 1,500 European Union civil servants have issued a searing letter to European Commission (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, warning that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is approaching a catastrophic point of no return, declaring that 'time is running out.' The letter, signed by EU Staff for Peace and addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy KajaKallas – and available with Business Recorder – urges EU institutions to confront what the officials call the European Union's moral and political failure to stop Israel's siege of Gaza. Citing historical precedent and statistical modelling, the officials predict that without immediate and large-scale restoration of aid, Gaza could soon witness over 100 starvation-related deaths per day – many of them children – within weeks. 'Famines do not follow a linear trajectory,' the officials write, comparing the current trajectory in Gaza to historic atrocities such as the Holodomor and the great Chinese Famine. 'Once a critical threshold is reached, mortality rates can rapidly escalate, doubling each day.' The letter accuses Israel of enforcing a blockade on food, baby formula, and medical supplies into the enclave, and calls the situation 'a defining test' for the EU's credibility and founding values. The officials also sharply criticised the European Union's existing humanitarian strategy, claiming that air drops have been insufficient and, in some cases, ineffective. Notably, the letter condemns the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), accusing it of contributing to the deaths of around 1,000 people since May. The authors cite multiple reports of Israel and a GHF contractor firing upon civilians approaching aid depots. And called on von der Leyen and Kallas to take urgent and concrete action, including the opening of all land crossings into Gaza and allowing humanitarian ships to dock freely. 'Israel cannot be allowed to disdain yet another agreement and disrespect the European Union,' the officials state, referencing the understanding announced by Kallas on 15 July. The letter proposes a series of unprecedented policy actions including targeted sanctions against Israeli leaders obstructing aid, suspension of diplomatic relations with Israel, and the recalling of the EU ambassador from Tel Aviv; an immediate halt to all EU cooperation with Israeli entities under the NDICI-GE and Horizon Europe frameworks; forensic audits of past and current EU-funded research involving Israeli institutions; and an investigation into the alleged pillaging of Gaza's maritime gas reserves by Israeli and EU member state interests. 'These measures are not merely symbolic,' the letter says. 'They are the last available levers for the EU to reaffirm its commitment to international law and human rights.' The letter is part of a broader initiative launched by EU Staff for Peace, which has rapidly gained momentum. An internal petition hosted on the official EU survey platform garnered over 1,000 staff signatures within 48 hours. Civil servants have also called on trade unions and staff committees to support the initiative and resist what they describe as increasing 'intimidation, silencing, and professional reprisals' against staff critical of EU policy towards Israel. The movement claims that staff have faced removal from projects, cancellation of events, and accusations of antisemitism for expressing concern over Israel's military actions. In a follow-up communication addressed to Kallas, EU Staff for Peace urged her to take action on suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement at the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting. The letter calls for emphasizing the 'moral and legal imperative,' citing Article 2 of the agreement, which binds all parties to uphold human rights. The communication also references the findings of a now-public report by Olof Skoog, the former EU Special Representative for Human Rights, published by EU Observer in June. The 35-page report details alleged Israeli violations of international law in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. 'By trampling international law, the European Union risks taking a dangerous turn, undermining democracy, the rule of law, and human rights,' the officials write. The group urges trade unions and staff committees to take a formal stance defending the rule of law, oppose retaliation against whistle-blowers, and explore staff rights to strike or conscientiously object to assignments that may implicate them in policies they find ethically indefensible. In one reported incident, seven officials wearing t-shirts bearing the slogan 'Say No to Genocide' were forcibly removed from the European Council's Europa canteen by security personnel. According to the group, one staffer had their arm twisted during the removal, while another was compelled to delete video footage of the protest – not only from their phone but also from the device's trash folder. The letter further references a pattern of retaliation against unnamed protesters, including the non-renewal of employment contracts and pressure to resign. It also highlights an unexplained decision to ban an internal pro-Palestinian survey that had garnered responses from 1,514 colleagues in under 48 hours. Additionally, the letter points to the presence of Israeli Colonel Moshe Tetro – a senior defense official accused of war crimes by the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation—at the staff entrance of the European Commission headquarters on June 25. In a final statement, EU Staff for Peace reminded leaders of the EU's Nobel Peace Prize status: 'The EU can finally regain the dignity of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to advocate for the respect of human rights and the enforcement of international and humanitarian law.' The EU spokesperson could not be reached for comment. However, reports citing the spokesperson indicate that the Commission maintains EU foreign policy is determined by member states and has cautioned its employees to refrain from political activity. The EU spokesperson Arianna Podestà characterized the internal backlash over the EU's refusal to cut ties with Israel as inherently political, emphasizing that staff are expected to 'comply with their duties and obligations … in an impartial, loyal and neutral manner.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Over 1,500 EU officials warn Gaza nearing catastrophic point of no return
ISLAMABAD: A group of over 1,500 European Union (EU) civil servants have issued a letter to EU President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, warning that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was approaching a catastrophic point of no return, declaring 'time is running out'. The letter, available with Business Recorder, was signed by EU Staff for Peace and addressed to Ursula von der and Kaja Kallas. The letter urged EU institutions to confront what the officials called the EU's moral and political failure to stop Israel's siege of Gaza. Citing historical precedent and statistical modelling, the officials predicted that without immediate and large-scale restoration of aid, Gaza could soon witness over 100 starvation-related deaths per day – many of them children – within weeks. 'Famines do not follow a linear trajectory,' the officials wrote, comparing the current trajectory in Gaza to historic atrocities such as the Holodomor and the great Chinese Famine. 'Once a critical threshold is reached, mortality rates can rapidly escalate, doubling each day.' Gaza civil defence says Israeli strikes on Gaza City intensifying The letter accused Israel of enforcing a blockade on food, baby formula, and medical supplies into the enclave, and called the situation 'a defining test' for the EU's credibility and founding values. The officials also sharply criticised the EU existing humanitarian strategy, claiming that air drops had been insufficient and, in some cases, ineffective. Notably, the letter condemned the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), accusing it of contributing to the deaths of around 1,000 people since May. The authors cited multiple reports of Israel and a GHF contractor firing upon civilians approaching aid depots, and called on von der Leyen and Kallas to take urgent and concrete action, including the opening of all land crossings into Gaza and allowing humanitarian ships to dock freely. 'Israel cannot be allowed to disdain yet another agreement and disrespect the European Union,' the officials stated, referencing the understanding announced by Kallas on 15 July. The letter proposed a series of unprecedented policy actions, including targeted sanctions against Israeli leaders obstructing aid, suspension of diplomatic relations with Israel, and the recalling of the EU ambassador from Tel Aviv; an immediate halt to all EU cooperation with Israeli entities under the NDICI-GE and Horizon Europe frameworks; forensic audits of past and current EU-funded research involving Israeli institutions; and an investigation into the alleged pillaging of Gaza's maritime gas reserves by Israeli and EU member state interests. 'These measures are not merely symbolic,' the letter says. 'They are the last available levers for the EU to reaffirm its commitment to international law and human rights.' The letter was part of a broader initiative launched by EU Staff for Peace, which has rapidly gained momentum. An internal petition hosted on the official EU survey platform garnered over 1,000 staff signatures within 48 hours. The civil servants also called on trade unions and staff committees to support the initiative and resist what they described as increasing 'intimidation, silencing, and professional reprisals' against staff critical of EU policy towards Israel. The movement claimed that staff had faced removal from projects, cancellation of events, and accusations of antisemitism for expressing concern over Israel's military actions. In a follow-up communication addressed to Kallas, EU Staff for Peace urged her to take action on suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement at the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting. The letter called for emphasising the 'moral and legal imperative,' citing Article 2 of the agreement, which binds all parties to uphold human rights. The communication also referenced the findings of a now-public report by Olof Skoog, the former EU Special Representative for Human Rights, published by EU Observer in June. The 35-page report detailed alleged Israeli violations of international law in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. 'By trampling international law, the European Union risks taking a dangerous turn, undermining democracy, the rule of law, and human rights,' the officials write. The group urged trade unions and staff committees to take a formal stance defending the rule of law, oppose retaliation against whistle-blowers, and explore staff rights to strike or conscientiously object to assignments that might implicate them in policies they find ethically indefensible. In one reported incident, seven officials wearing t-shirts bearing the slogan 'Say No to Genocide' were forcibly removed from the European Council's Europa canteen by security personnel. According to the group, one staffer had their arm twisted during the removal, while another was compelled to delete video footage of the protest – not only from their phone but also from the device's trash folder. For Trump administration, US air drops of Gaza aid were never a serious option, sources say The letter further referenced a pattern of retaliation against unnamed protesters, including the non-renewal of employment contracts and pressure to resign. It also highlighted an unexplained decision to ban an internal pro-Palestinian survey that had garnered responses from 1,514 colleagues in under 48 hours. Additionally, the letter pointed to the presence of Israeli Colonel Moshe Tetro – a senior defense official accused of war crimes by the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation—at the staff entrance of the European Commission headquarters on June 25. In a final statement, EU Staff for Peace reminded leaders of the EU's Nobel Peace Prize status, 'The EU can finally regain the dignity of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to advocate for the respect of human rights and the enforcement of international and humanitarian law.' The EU spokesperson could not be reached for comment. However, reports citing the spokesperson indicated that the commission maintained EU foreign policy was determined by member states and had cautioned its employees to refrain from political activity. The EU spokesperson Arianna Podestà characterised the internal backlash over the EU's refusal to cut ties with Israel as inherently political, emphasising that staff was expected to 'comply with their duties and obligations … in an impartial, loyal and neutral manner'.
