Vance irks allies in UK, France with skeptical comments about Ukraine peacekeeping mission proposal

LONDON: A group representing thousands of EU officials has accused the bloc of failing to act meaningfully in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning its inaction has helped enable Israel’s ongoing military offensive.

The group, EU Staff for Peace, said more than 2,000 staff members from the European Commission, the European Parliament and other EU agencies had signed a letter sharply critical of the bloc’s leadership back in May 2024.

The letter marked its one-year anniversary this week with a renewed appeal to EU leaders, it was reported by The Guardian on Monday.

“The EU institutions have failed to bring the European Union’s political, diplomatic and economic influence to bear in order to ameliorate the situation in Gaza,” the group wrote in its latest letter, addressed to the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament.

The letter accuses the EU of “little or no meaningful action” over the past year, saying the bloc’s “inaction” has “contributed to the environment of unaccountability that resulted in the full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip taking place at this moment.”

The renewed appeal comes just days after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced a long-awaited review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, following pressure from a large majority of member states.

The staff group welcomed the move but said it had come “devastatingly late for thousands killed in Gaza.”

Zeno Benetti, one of the letter’s co-authors, said: “The recent announcement of a review of the EU-Israel association agreement — 20 months into the conflict, and as thousands of children face starvation due to the renewed blockade on humanitarian aid — raises serious concerns about the adequacy and timing of the EU’s response.” 

The EU-Israel agreement, signed in 2000, can only be fully suspended by unanimous agreement among all 27 member states. However, key provisions such as trade cooperation and Israel’s participation in EU research programs can be frozen via a weighted-majority vote.

EU Staff for Peace had previously called for a full suspension of the agreement, an end to EU member states’ arms exports to Israel, and concrete support for the work of the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.

The group’s new letter also accuses EU institutions of applying an “apparent double standard” for failing to condemn European leaders who have welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite an ICC arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes.

In April, Hungary hosted Netanyahu for a four-day state visit. Poland reportedly considered inviting him to a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

In Germany, opposition leader Friedrich Merz pledged to find a way for Netanyahu to visit the country without facing arrest.

The staff group has requested meetings with the offices of the three EU presidents and continues to hold weekly rallies outside the European Council and Commission buildings in Brussels calling for peace in the Middle East.

The European Commission has not immediately responded to a request for comment, but Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the situation in Gaza was “unacceptable” and called for an end to Israel’s blockade and the immediate release of Israeli hostages.

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s National Consensus Commission, tasked by the caretaker government to lead critical democratic reforms after a mass uprising last year, said Monday that political parties had failed to reach agreement.
The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years.
Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has previously said he inherited a “completely broken down” system of public administration.
Yunus has said it required a comprehensive overhaul to prevent a future return to authoritarian rule. He set up six commissions to do that work, overseen by the Consensus Commission, which he heads.
Ali Riaz, the commission’s vice president, said that despite marathon efforts they had not reached a deal.
“It wasn’t possible to reach a consensus on several significant constitutional issues,” Riaz told reporters in Dhaka, saying talks stretched over 45 sessions.
“We have been discussing 166 recommendations with 38 political parties and alliances.”
Riaz, a political science professor at Illinois State University, said the teams would not give up.
“We are going to begin a second round of talks,” he said, adding that the country’s statistics bureau would “conduct a household survey to gauge public opinion.” The commission plans to include 46,000 families in the survey.
Contentious issues include whether a prime minister can serve more than two terms, and the process for selecting the president.
The procedure for appointing the chief of the interim government, and the duration of its tenure, has also divided parties, Riaz said.
Parties also debated recommendations to change the terms of the constitution from “secularism” to “pluralism.”
Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority nation, with Hindus accounting for less than a tenth of the population.
“Although most parties rejected the idea of pluralism, they recommended incorporating some form of protection for minorities,” he said.
Yunus warned on Saturday that political power struggles risked jeopardizing gains that have been made, carrying out two days of talks with more than 20 political party leaders.
Hasina’s rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
Her government was also accused of politicizing courts and the civil service, as well as staging lopsided elections to dismantle democratic checks on its power.
Yunus has said polls could be held as early as December but that holding them later — with the deadline of June 2026 — would give the government more time for reform.
On Saturday, Yunus met with the key Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as the election front-runners, who are pushing hard for polls to be held by December.
The military insisted at a press conference on Monday that there was no division with Yunus.
It was the first address to the media since army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman gave an address to officers on May 21.
He said that elections should be held by December, aligning with BNP demands, according to Bangladeshi media and military sources.
“There is no rift between the government and the Bangladesh Army,” Lt. Col. Muhammad Shafiqul Islam told reporters.
“We share a cordial relationship and are working together for the sake of the country.”