[ad_1]
A British diplomat in Ireland has resigned over arms sales to Israel after an email circulated online in which he said the Foreign Office “may have been guilty of war crimes,” it was revealed on Monday.
An image of his resignation email to colleagues was posted online, in which Mark Smith of the British Embassy in Dublin wrote that there was “no reason for the UK to continue selling arms to Israel”.
Smith, who describes himself as an expert on arms sales policy, was previously second secretary of state for “counter-terrorism”, a relatively junior position within the Foreign Office (FCDO).
Smith issued a follow-up statement saying he had “written to the Foreign Secretary informing him of my decision to resign and urging him to urgently review the UK’s handling of the situation in Gaza,” the BBC reported on Monday.
“We witness clear and unquestionable examples of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law committed by the State of Israel in Gaza every day,” Smith wrote in his resignation email.
He said concerns he had raised about the legality of arms sales at “all levels” of the Financial Conduct Authority had been “ignored” and accused the British government of failing to have a “robust and transparent” system for licensing arms exports.
– Legal review –
A spokesman for the federal anti-corruption office said that while it did not comment on individual cases, “the government is committed to upholding international law.”
“We have made it clear that we will not export certain items if they could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the spokesman added in a statement sent to AFP on Monday.
After taking office last month, Foreign Secretary David Lammy ordered a legal review to see whether arms export licences issued by the UK to Israel risk facilitating violations of international humanitarian law.
“We will provide an update as soon as the review process is complete,” the federal Financial Conduct Authority said in a statement.
Lamy has previously said there would not be a “blanket ban” on arms sales to Israel, but he would “consider issues related to offensive weapons in Gaza.”
According to government data, Britain has issued 42 military permits to Israel between October 7, the date of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel, and the end of May.
Israel’s military operation in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people since October 7, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health.
[ad_2]
Source link
