A British diplomat has resigned from the Foreign Office because he believes the department “may be complicit in war crimes” – by continuing to allow arms sales to Israel during the ongoing invasion of Gaza.
Mark Smith, who served as second secretary at the British Embassy in Ireland, states in his resignation letter that he is saddened by the way members of the Israeli government and senior military officials have expressed a desire to annihilate the Palestinian people.
“Senior members of the Israeli government and military have expressed open genocidal intent, Israeli soldiers take videos deliberately burning, destroying and looting civilian property and openly admit to the rape and torture of prisoners”, he wrote in the letter sent to colleagues.
“It is with sadness that I resign after a long career in the diplomatic service, however I can no longer carry out my duties in the knowledge that this Department may be complicit in war crimes”, Smith explains, describing it as ‘deeply troubling’ that the department had ‘ignored’ his objections that the arms sales are illegal.
Full resignation letter from FCDO British diplomat Mark Smith: pic.twitter.com/k9y7varCHC
— Hind Hassan (@HindHassanNews) August 16, 2024
“Nothing justifies continued arms sales”
Smith has previously worked on assessing licenses for arms exports to the Middle East and North Africa, and says that has given him a great deal of knowledge on the subject.
“Every day we witness clear and undeniable examples of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza committed by the State of Israel”.
“There is no justification for the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel, yet somehow it continues. I have raised this at every level of the organization, including through an official whistleblower investigation, and have received nothing more than ‘thank you we have noted your concerns'”, he adds, arguing that the talk of transparency in arms exports by those in power does not match reality.
“I hope we can look back on history and be proud”, he concludes the letter, urging other department staff to also raise their concerns about the UK’s actions.
Foreign Office officials claim that they are committed to upholding international law and have no intention of exporting items that could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of it.
