As the truce in the Israel-Hamas war was ending on Thursday, Cindy McCain, the executive director of the United Nations’ World Food Program, met virtually with her staff to address an internal uproar over accusations that she was not leveraging her position to speak out against the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Many of the global staff members who gathered were angered by her refusal to publicly call for a cease-fire, and there was a growing demand for her removal.
In a video of the meeting shared with The New York Times, several employees read statements sharply criticizing Ms. McCain for being tone-deaf to staff concerns.
“You were not here for us — with all due respect, you have failed us,” a woman speaking from Gaza on behalf of Palestinian staff members not present at the meeting says in the video.
An annual prize in public service named after her late husband, Senator John McCain, was awarded to the “People of Israel.”
Persons:
Cindy McCain, McCain, ”, Ehud Barak, John McCain
Organizations:
United Nations, Food, The New York Times, United, ” Staff, “
Locations:
Israel, Gaza, United Nations, Halifax , Nova Scotia