FAO leadership refused to renew the contract for Benjamin Davis, a former UN food agency official, after he highlighted hunger in Gaza. Davis, who left the FAO last week after twenty-six years of service, appealed against his dismissal.
His team previously published a brief concerning hunger in Gaza, and they also held a seminar on the topic last year. The seminar on hunger in Gaza took place in September last year, an event that prompted a complaint from the Israeli mission to the FAO.
Furthermore, Davis's team issued a briefing paper in May last year regarding Gaza's hunger situation. Following the publication of this briefing paper, the FAO website removed the document a few weeks later.
Davis stated that the Gaza briefing paper, the seminar, and the moments of silence were all approved by FAO management. The official letter cited a lack of confidence in Davis's capacity to fulfil his duties.
Qu Dongyu, a senior official, warned that he would dismiss more staff for engaging in political activism. Dongyu stated, "We are not going to allow you to play the game here of human rights."
He added that human rights are important but suggested that agency work belongs in Geneva. An altercation occurred on 23 October when an Israeli diplomat photographed staff during a moment of silence gathering.
The Israeli embassy in Rome issued a statement confirming it had no comment on the report.
