EU leaders have not reached consensus on whether to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel despite concerns that Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza violates the deal.
The European Commission is facing internal dissent from staff over their right to protest the bloc’s stance on Israel, according to a Politico report.
The staff “argue that the bloc’s failure to exert pressure on Israel while it’s accused of committing war crimes in Gaza makes it impossible for them to perform their duties without breaching EU and international law,” the report stated.
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EU leaders have not reached a consensus on whether to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel despite concerns that Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza violates the agreement.
The agreement, which governs political and economic ties between the two parties, includes a binding clause requiring respect for human rights and democratic principles. Failure to comply with this clause can lead to sanctions or suspension of the agreement.
‘Stay Out of Politics’
The Commission “maintains that EU foreign policy is a matter for national governments, and has warned its employees to stay out of politics,” Politico reported.
The commission’s spokesperson, Arianna Podestà, has said that staff must “comply with their duties and obligations … in an impartial, loyal and neutral manner” and use “internal tools” such as letters, dialogue with staff unions and managers to protest.
Brussels civil servants are locked in an escalating standoff with the European Commission over their right to protest the EU’s stance on Israel.https://t.co/iDiZmrYrP8
— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) August 12, 2025
She reportedly added that “the workplace, the premises of the administration and work tools put at the disposal of staff by the administration are not the place for activism, neither for or against certain political causes.”
Staff, however, have questioned the value of the internal tools cited by Podestà, the report stated.
It said that since the end of July, some 1,500 officials in the 32,000-strong institution “have signed an open letter highlighting the deteriorating conditions in the besieged enclave, predicting an ‘exponential’ rise in starvation-related deaths if the EU doesn’t pressure Israel to allow in more aid and food.”
Staff’s Claims
“The European Union has always aspired to be a global defender of human rights. We cannot allow this tragedy to escalate to ever more unspeakable scene. Our credibility and moral leadership depend on taking bold and principled action now,” the letter stated.
Politico said it had seen an internal letter sent last month to EU leadership by internal pro-Palestinian solidarity group EU Staff for Peace. The letter noted that some forms of protest “have been subject to ‘intimidation’ tactics, including alleged manhandling by security officials, unfair termination of contracts and a crackdown on an internal petition.”
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“The letter also alludes to unnamed protesters’ contracts not being renewed and others being compelled to resign; an unexplained ban on an internal pro-Palestinian survey that collected 1,514 colleagues in less than 48 hours” the report stated. In addition “the presence on June 25 in the Commission headquarters’ staff entrance of Israeli colonel Moshe Tetro, a senior defense official accused of war crimes by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a Brussels-based non-profit.”
Ongoing Genocide
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 61,000, wounding more than 153,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
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Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
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The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
