European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is turning a blind eye to Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, hundreds of EU staffers wrote in a letter circulating within the bloc’s institutions, The Irish Times reported on Friday.
The European Commission is giving a “free hand to the acceleration and legitimacy of a war crime in the Gaza Strip,” the letter signed by 842 people stated.
It was reportedly circulated among diplomats and staffers at the Commission and other EU bodies.
While the missive opens with a condemnation of Hamas’ attack on Israel earlier this month, it followed with an “equally strong” condemnation of what the writers describe as “the disproportionate reaction by the Israeli government against 2.3 million Palestinian civilians trapped in the Gaza Strip,” accusing von der Leyen of a “double standard.”
Good meeting together with @CharlesMichel with a bipartisan delegation from the US Senate.
The transatlantic partnership is strong!
And more needed than ever in turbulent times.
We stand for peace and prosperity.
Supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom.
Standing by… pic.twitter.com/2EsMMX42hJ
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 19, 2023
The letter claims she “completely ignored” Israel’s blockade stopping water and fuel from reaching Gaza while noting she described an “identical act” by Russia as “terror.”
In the letter to von der Leyen, the signatories reportedly argued that she had unconditionally backed Israel without consultations with EU member states.
Others suggested it was incumbent upon Brussels to use its influence to push for a peaceful settlement to the decades-old occupation and demand the reimposition of “basic human rights and international law” in Palestine.
One diplomat who signed said they were “embarrassed” by von der Leyen’s belligerent tone, lamenting her abandonment of “the values on which the EU was built.”
Thousands of British Art, Culture Figures Demand Immediate End to Israeli War on Gaza
“As a European, I do not want any war crimes supported in my name,” another signatory wrote.
Von der Leyen had the Israeli flag projected onto the European Commission’s headquarters in Brussels and reiterated her support for the country when meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.
(RT, PC)
