File - People attend a pro-Palestinians demonstration in Berlin. AP
In an open letter published this week, 209 former officials—including 110 ambassadors and 25 senior directors-general—outlined nine measures the EU should adopt, among them suspending arms export licences to Israel, banning trade in goods and services linked to settlements, and blocking European data centres from handling information tied to Israel’s military operations or settlement enterprise.
The signatories include Alain Le Roy, former Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, and Carlo Trojan, former Secretary-General of the European Commission.
The appeal comes as Gaza faces a United Nations (UN) declared famine, manufactured by a five-month-long Israeli blockade, and the killing of nearly 63,000 Palestinians in the strip by occupation forces during the 23-month-old war.
The initiative has been coordinated since mid-July by a six-member steering group led by Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, the EU’s former representative to the Palestinian territories.
He told The Guardian that the letter reflects deep frustration within European institutions.
“This struck a chord,” von Burgsdorff said. “There is such dismay now within the institutions—people are saying enough is enough.”
He warned that Europe risked losing credibility “not just in the Global South, but also with our own citizens, in every member state.”
He cited polling in Germany—long considered one of Israel’s strongest allies—showing 80 percent of Germans oppose Israel’s actions in Gaza and two-thirds want Berlin to adopt a tougher line.
According to the Guardian, this is the third such letter from former European diplomats since Israel's genocidal war began in October 2023, but the first to explicitly call for unilateral or small-group action by member states if the EU as a whole remains paralyzed.
A recent proposal to suspend Israel’s participation in the EU’s Horizon research programme was rejected in July, underscoring divisions within the bloc.
The intervention comes amid mounting international criticism of Israeli strikes on hospitals and civilian areas in Gaza, which have killed hundreds, including doctors, journalists, civil defence members, and patients.
European diplomats warn of a “growing gap” between official EU policy and public opinion, with pressure building on governments to adopt a clearer stance toward Tel Aviv.
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