Article shared by Niloufar Pourzand
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| Cindy McCain at Halifax Security Mtg |
Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Program, held an emotional online meeting on November 30th with some of her Middle East staff regarding intense criticisms of her perceived pro-Israeli bias in responses to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Staff called the exchange "extraordinarily raw and unvarnished", exposing a "potentially insurmountable divide" between McCain and frontline humanitarians trying to save lives amid hellish conditions in Gaza.
Criticisms included attending a security forum in Canada that honored "the People of Israel", not visiting Gaza or showing support for WFP's Palestinian staff, and not speaking out against the weaponization of hunger through Gaza's blockade. Staff boycotted the session, and some walked out midway. Some questioned her neutrality and the impact on WFP's reputation, calling her breach of neutrality "inexcusable."
In the emotional meeting, a staffer fought back tears telling McCain "our teams have been living through hell." McCain replied she was "doing absolutely everything I can" to see an end to this. When asked to apologize for perceived lack of neutrality in Canada and missing a UN minute of silence for killed Gaza staffers, McCain adamantly refused, saying supporting her late husband's legacy is non-negotiable.
McCain faces growing pressure from frontline staffers surrounding her stance on the Gaza conflict. Their exchange exposed an intense divide between her and the Palestine team over perceptions of bias, lack of action, and failing to unequivocally condemn humanitarian conditions - leaving major questions about working relations going forward.
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