Rome (QNN)- A senior official at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said he lost his job after being accused of breaching impartiality rules for speaking out against Israel’s genocide and famine in Gaza, following pressure from the US and Israel. The FAO director-general also threatened to “fire more people” who oppose the law.
Ben Davis, who served as the director of the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP), told AFP that he was informed his contract would not be renewed in July after 26 years. Davis said he was accused of breaching impartiality rules.
“They accused me of organising these moments of silence on the situation of starvation and famine in Gaza,” he said, referring to weekly silent protests by some employees at the Rome-based organisation.
He said he was also criticised for a report he wrote on food availability in Gaza and the consequences under international humanitarian law.
According to The Italian Insider, citing FAO sources, the FAO published on its website the report on starvation in Gaza co-authored by Davis, but then “cravenly removed it under pressure from Israel and the United States”.
“We were told to take it down,” he added. “We weren’t allowed to make any references to humanitarian law.”
An Israeli diplomat from the Israeli Embassy to the FAO filmed the silent staff protest against the use by the Israeli military of starvation in Gaza that was held inside FAO headquarters every Thursday, The Italian insider noted, leading to Davis not having his contract at the UN agency renewed.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu appeared to warn FAO staff on Tuesday that “we don’t allow you to play the game here of human rights”.
He was speaking in public comments made at the start of a filmed session on forestry.
“Of course, human rights is very important, but we have the human rights agency in Geneva,” he added. “If you want to take care, go there.
“That’s why some senior members play the political game here, I fire him … You should follow the FAO constitution … You are against staff regulations … But I’m a very soft person, I didn’t fire that many,” he said.
“I will fire more people if they are against the law,” he added.
Asked if he thought the director-general’s comments were about him, Davis said “absolutely”.
“He has already scolded me in public in the past for being too political.”
Davis also said he was “concerned” about the director-general’s comments on firing more people.
Hundreds of people attended the moments of silence at their height, while now there are only 30 to 40 people coming on a weekly basis, he said.
Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza has killed over 74,000 people since October 2023, and at least 1,431 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the so-called ceasefire took effect in October 2025.
