Two hundred and nine former ambassadors, diplomats and senior officials in the European Union have published a public letter calling for “urgent action against Israel.”
The letter was initiated in the wake of the war in Gaza and Israel’s actions in Judea and Samaria, which they claim constitute violations of international law.
The letter, sent to decision-makers in the European Union and its member states, includes nine operational recommendations for measures that can be taken against Israel.
Among the recommendations: suspending arms export licenses to Israel, banning trade in goods and services originating from so called “illegal communities,” and preventing the use of European data centers for information coming from Israeli government or commercial sources related to Israeli activities in the “occupied territories,” as the letter puts it.
The signatories include 110 former ambassadors, 25 former directors-general, as well as two of the most prominent figures in the EU diplomatic service: Alain Le Roy, former Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, and Carlo Trojan, former Secretary-General of the European Commission. The letter also states that "if the EU does not take collective action, member states must act individually or in smaller groups to support human rights and uphold international law."