209 Senior EU Diplomats Urge Urgent Action on Gaza Crisis

Report by “Safarti Tarjuman” International News Desk

Brussels — A coalition of 209 former European ambassadors, diplomats, and senior EU officials has issued a public letter urging the European Union (EU) to take urgent and concrete measures in response to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza and settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.

The letter warns that EU credibility is at risk if leaders remain passive, insisting that if the bloc cannot act collectively, individual member states must intervene independently to uphold human rights and international law.

The signatories outlined nine potential actions the EU or member states could take, including:

• Suspending arms export licenses to Israel.
• Banning trade in goods and services linked to illegal settlements.
• Restricting European data centers from handling Israeli government or commercial data tied to activities in Gaza or the West Bank.

“This struck a chord,” said Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, former EU representative to the Palestinian territories, who coordinated the initiative with five other ex-diplomats. “We cannot stay paralyzed if the 27 member states fail to act — that betrays our values.”

Among the 209 signatories are:

• 110 former ambassadors,
• 25 former director generals,
• Alain Le Roy, former secretary general of the European External Action Service,
• Carlo Trojan, ex-secretary general of the European Commission.

The appeal, initiated in mid-July, is the third public call by senior European diplomats but the first to urge independent national action if consensus at the EU level is blocked.

A recent proposal to suspend Israel from the EU’s Horizon research fund was rejected in late July, adding to the discontent among EU officials.

Von Burgsdorff stressed that European governments risk losing trust both globally and domestically.

“In Germany, traditionally one of Israel’s strongest allies, 80% of the public disapproves of Israel’s actions in Gaza, while two-thirds want the government to take stronger steps,” he said.

The diplomats warned that Europe’s failure to respond undermines its credibility as a defender of human rights and risks alienating its own citizens.

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