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British officials wrote in the letter that the world is witnessing clear and unquestionable war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza every day.
A senior official at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has resigned over Britain’s possible involvement in war crimes in Gaza and its continued arms sales to Israel, British media reported.
Mark Smith, head of Africa Programmes and Expertise, submitted a resignation letter titled “FCDO complicity in war crimes” in which he Express He expressed regret for resigning after many years of service and said he had no choice.
“As a result of my knowledge that my department may have been complicit in war crimes, I can no longer perform my duties,” Smith said in his resignation letter, which was widely distributed via email to hundreds of government officials, embassy staff and special advisers to the foreign minister.
The British counter-terrorism official wrote in the letter that the world is witnessing Israel committing clear and unquestionable war crimes in Gaza every day in violation of international humanitarian law.
Full text of the resignation letter from British diplomat FCDO Mark Smith: pic.twitter.com/k9y7varCHC
— Hind Hassan (@HindHassanNews) August 16, 2024
“More than half of Gaza’s homes and over 80 percent of commercial properties have been damaged or destroyed. Entire streets and universities have been destroyed, humanitarian aid has been cut off and civilians are often left with nowhere to escape. Red Crescent ambulances have been attacked and schools and hospitals are regularly targeted. These are war crimes,” he said in the letter.
The senior official, who works at the British Embassy in Dublin, reportedly stressed that senior members of the Israeli government and military have openly expressed genocidal intent, adding that Israeli occupation forces deliberately recorded themselves “burning, destroying and looting civilian property, and openly admitting to raping and torturing prisoners.”
Smith refuted the British government’s claim that the UK has one of the “most robust and transparent” weapons licensing systems in the world, stressing that this was completely contrary to the facts. He also said that his superiors had ignored his concerns about possible British involvement in war crimes more than once. He wrote: “It is deeply disturbing to be ignored in this way. As a public servant, it is my duty to raise this issue.”
The British official believed it made no sense for Britain to continue selling arms to Israel given the war crimes the Jewish state was committing every day, “yet somehow it continues,” he wrote.
I have raised this issue at all levels of the organization, including through the official whistleblower investigation, but the response I have received is simply “thank you, we are aware of your concerns,” he wrote in the letter.
The FCDO declined to comment on Smith’s resignation but reiterated that the UK government was “committed to upholding international law”.
“We have made it clear that we will not export items if they could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the FCDO told the Action Organisation on Armed Violence (AOAV).
I hope more diplomats will follow Mark Smith’s courageous example and speak out against those behind Israel’s atrocities.
#DiplomatsAgainstGenocide https://t.co/uqJDXpvMR8— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (@FranceskAlbs) August 16, 2024
Commenting on Smith’s resignation, AOAV executive director Dr Ian Overton said it was a profound indictment of the UK’s arms export policy. He added: “It takes great courage to stand up against a system that allows civilians to suffer, and his actions should prompt a serious reassessment of the moral responsibility of the arms trade.”
Smith’s resignation was widely welcomed on social media by users and prominent figures such as Francesca Albanese, the UN rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories.
“I hope more diplomats will follow Mark Smith’s courage and stand up against those who are complicit in Israel’s brutality,” Albanese wrote on his X account.
According to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), the UK has issued arms export licenses worth £574 million ($727 million) to Israel since 2008. The UK government recently downplayed the volume of supplies, calling them “relatively small” at £42 million ($53 million) in 2022.
(PC, Anadolu Agency, MEMO)
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