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UN food agency official fired after highlighting Gaza hunger
Ben Davis said his 26-year contract was not renewed after he criticized Israeli policies in Gaza, where weekly silent protests drew as many as hundreds of staff.
- On Wednesday, Ben Davis, a director at the Food and Agriculture Organization , told AFP his 26-year contract will not be renewed, allegedly for breaching impartiality rules regarding his criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza.
- Davis stated he was accused of organizing weekly silent protests about Gaza starvation at the Rome-based organization and was criticized for a May report on Gaza food availability, which he claimed he was ordered to remove.
- Participation in the weekly moments of silence fell from hundreds to 30-40 attendees, Davis said, while he was told he was "not allowed to make any references to humanitarian law" in his work.
- On Tuesday, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu warned staff that "we don't allow you to play the game here of human rights," suggesting those focused on such issues should go to the human rights agency in Geneva.
- Qu threatened to fire more people if they act against the law, prompting Davis to say he was "concerned" about the comments; asked if the Director-General's remarks were directed at him, Davis replied "absolutely.
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From a symposium on hunger in Gaza to silent stops inside FAO headquarters, Benjamin Davis finds himself outside the United Nations agency, confirming that he was deported because of an Israeli complaint.
A senior official of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said that his criticism of Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip had lost his job, after 26 years of work in the Organization, at a time when the Director General of the Agency had warned its staff not to engage in activities of a rights nature.
Senior UN figure says lost job for criticising Israel over Gaza
·Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
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Total News Sources10
Leaning Left4Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Left, 44% Center
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Left, 44% of the sources are Center
45% Left
L 45%
C 44%
11%
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