A French lawyer has taken part in a free trip from the pro-Israel lobby just a few months after making a pledge to avoid conflicts of interest.
Christophe Gomart is the new vice-chair of a European Parliament committee on “security and defense.” When accepting that post in July, he signed a declaration that he would respect rules on “integrity and transparency.”
Gomart has already breached that declaration by taking part in an all-expenses-paid visit to Israel marking the first anniversary of the 7 October 2023 attack. The visit was arranged by the advocacy group known as the European Leadership Network (Elnet).
Under the European Parliament’s rules , Gomart is required to promptly acknowledge any conflict of interest that arises. The rules stipulate that he must then “refrain from exercising the responsibilities with regard to this situation of conflict.”…..more