DaysofPal — The Gaza-based Gaza Center for Human Rights has strongly condemned what it described as “shameful conduct” by the European Union’s ambassador to Israel, Michael Mann, over his recent meeting with Israeli Knesset member Merav Ben-Ari, who has previously made controversial statements justifying the killing of children in Gaza.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the center denounced what it called an attempt at “official European normalization with genocidal rhetoric,” criticizing Mann’s engagement with Ben-Ari, whose remarks on Gaza have drawn widespread condemnation.
According to the statement, Mann met with Ben-Ari and later posted on May 13 on the platform X, expressing satisfaction over their exchange of views regarding the future of relations between Israel and the European Union.
The rights group argued that both the meeting and its positive framing grant diplomatic legitimacy to a figure whose documented positions fundamentally contradict the EU’s founding values and international human rights principles.
The center recalled statements made by Ben-Ari at the Knesset in October 2023, which were documented by international organizations, including Human Rights Watch.
In those remarks, she said: “The children of Gaza… brought this upon themselves,” at a time when around 1,000 children had reportedly been killed.
The statement noted that the number has since risen to more than 21,500 children killed and over 42,000 injured, without any apology or retraction from Ben-Ari.
The rights organization stressed that the protection of children is an absolute obligation that must not be compromised, and that justifying their targeting based on national or geographic identity cannot be considered a legitimate political opinion.
It added that engaging normally with proponents of such rhetoric is unacceptable for any international official and inconsistent with European standards.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights called on Ambassador Mann to issue an immediate and public apology for the meeting and his characterization of it, and to clearly state the European Union’s position regarding what it described as inciting remarks by Ben-Ari.
It also urged the European Commission to review its human rights conditionality mechanisms in diplomatic dealings with Israeli officials and to uphold its own standards when granting diplomatic legitimacy, particularly in matters related to the protection of civilians and children.
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