Senior diplomat resigns over UK’s complicity in ‘war crimes’ in Gaza

 A senior British diplomat has resigned from the Foreign Office over the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel, which he said have “no justification”.

Mark Smith, the head of Africa Programmes and Expertise Department and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, submitted a resignation letter entitled “FCDO complicity in War Crimes” reports revealed yesterday.

“It is with sadness that I resign after a long career in the diplomatic service,” he wrote, “however I can no longer carry out my duties in the knowledge that this Department may be complicit in War Crimes. ”

“Each day we witness clear and unquestionable examples of War Crimes and breaches of International Humanitarian Law in Gaza perpetrated by the State of Israel,” he continued.

He went on to highlight how “senior members of the Israeli government and militar have expressed open genocidal intent, Isralei soldiers take videos, deliberately burning destroying, and looting civilian property and openly admit to the rape and torture of prisoners.”

Adding that such actions, along with the displacement of over 80 per cent of Gaza’s civilian population “are War Crimes”, he said “there is no justification for the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel yet somehow it continues.”

Smith explained that he tried to raise his concerns while in office, including through “an official whistle blowing investigation”, however nothing came of his efforts. Describing his role as a “subject matter expert in the domain of armed sales policy”, he questioned the UK’s claim that it has a “robust and transparent” arms export licensing system, when his concerns were “disregarded in this way”.

Urging the FCDO to change track in the hope that “we can look back on history and be proud.”

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240817-senior-diplomat-resigns-over-uks-complicity-in-war-crimes-in-gaza/