Former EU diplomats urge urgent, concrete action on Gaza ahead of ministers’ meeting

A coalition of more than 200 former European Union and member-state ambassadors and senior officials has issued a public letter urging the EU to take immediate, concrete measures in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Dated August 26, 2025, and timed ahead of this week’s informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen (the “Gymnich”), the signatories argue that Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank breaches international law and the human-rights clause of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. They call on EU institutions and, if consensus fails, individual member states to act without delay.
The letter—signed by 206 former EU and national ambassadors and senior staff—proposes a menu of steps that capitals can take collectively or in smaller coalitions. These include suspending or revoking arms-export licenses; banning trade with, and services to, Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law; reviewing or suspending elements of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on human-rights grounds; tightening due-diligence requirements on EU-based companies; and backing accountability mechanisms through international courts. The appeal follows earlier open letters in July by groups of former EU ambassadors and MEPs calling for sanctions and a tougher line, reflecting growing internal pressure on Brussels to move beyond statements to enforcement actions.
The latest diplomatic intervention lands amid a sharp escalation in concern over the humanitarian situation. In recent days, European and UN officials have condemned deadly strikes in Gaza and renewed warnings over famine conditions, while EU leaders reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages. The signatories argue that failure to act will further erode the EU’s credibility both at home and abroad and urge member states to proceed with targeted measures even if unanimity cannot be reached at the EU level.
Whether ministers will adopt any of the proposed measures remains uncertain. But the breadth and seniority of the signatories—spanning former EU ambassadors, directors-general and national diplomats—adds significant political weight to pressure for an EU response that goes beyond humanitarian statements to legal and economic consequences.

Source- The Guardian, Reuters.