AhlulBayt News Agency: A Palestinian man has filed a lawsuit against the European Union over his dismissal from a border monitoring role at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
According to reports on Sunday, Mohammed Baraka, who served at the EU’s Rafah mission for nearly 20 years, submitted a discrimination claim to a Belgian court.
Baraka had continued his work from Cairo after being evacuated due to the Israeli genocidal war against Gaza, where he had worked since the mission’s launch in 2006.
However, he was dismissed this year after the EU decided to shut down its Rafah office in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression.
In the legal filing submitted to a Brussels tribunal, Baraka’s lawyer, Selma Benkhelifa, stated that her client “does not criticize the decision to close the Rafah office,” acknowledging the security risks.
She argued, however, that other EU staff working at the same mission were reassigned to new posts, while Baraka was terminated—raising concerns of “discrimination based on nationality.”
The lawsuit also challenges the EU’s use of consecutive one-year contracts, which allegedly violate Belgian labor laws requiring permanent status after three renewals.
The claim states that “renewing fixed-term contracts contradicts Belgian and European public policy,” and calls for Baraka’s contract to be reclassified as permanent.
Baraka said he filed the case due to the injustice he experienced, especially after accepting EU evacuation during the early days of the war.
He added, “Had I known that accepting evacuation would lead to dismissal and abandonment in a place without basic rights, I would never have agreed. None of this was explained to me.”
Critics argue that the EU and other Western powers apply double standards, particularly in their treatment of Palestinians.
Legal action is now being pursued against the UK and EU for failing to evacuate even critically ill children from Gaza during the Israeli assault.
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