A British diplomat, Mark Smith, has resigned from his job because he believes the UK government might be involved in war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. Two sources who know about the situation told the Middle East Eye (MEE) about his resignation.
One of these sources, a British government official, shared that after Smith resigned, a senior official in the Foreign Office sent an email to the staff. The email acknowledged Smith’s concerns and promised that a session would be held soon to discuss these issues. However, the Foreign Office did not make any public comments about the resignation.
Smith’s resignation letter was first made public when journalist Hind Hassan posted it on X (formerly Twitter) on a Friday evening. In the letter, Smith expressed sadness about leaving his job after a long career in diplomacy. He stated that he could no longer perform his duties knowing that the department he worked for might be involved in war crimes.
Smith mentioned that he had worked in a role where he assessed arms exports to the Middle East and North Africa. Because of this, he had expert knowledge about the UK’s arms sales policy. He was troubled by the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel, despite what he saw as a lack of justification. Smith said he raised his concerns at every level within the organization, even through an official whistleblowing investigation, but all he received in response was a polite acknowledgment with no real action.
In his letter, Smith called on other officials to speak up, as he had, about these issues. He noted that he wasn’t the only one with concerns, and many of his colleagues had also raised similar issues.
Smith’s resignation quickly gained attention online, with many people supporting his decision. Francesca Albanese, a UN special rapporteur on human rights in Palestinian territories, praised Smith and hoped that more diplomats would follow his example and speak out against what she called the enablers of Israel’s actions.
Yasmine Ahmed, the UK director of Human Rights Watch, called Smith courageous and quoted George Orwell, saying, “Freedom is the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear.” Gary Spedding, an independent consultant on Israel-Palestine issues, said Smith’s resignation is a significant development. He believes it highlights the serious concerns among Foreign Office employees about their potential involvement in violations of international humanitarian law. Spedding warned that government employees could face legal action if these concerns are not addressed.
There have been signs of growing unease within the civil service over the UK government’s policies regarding Israel’s war on Gaza. Earlier this year, another former civil servant revealed that as many as 300 staff members in the Foreign Office had formally raised concerns about the UK’s support for Israel’s actions.
Recently, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents British civil servants, asked for a meeting with the Cabinet Office to discuss the war in Gaza and its impact on government employees. However, the Cabinet Office has not confirmed whether this meeting will take place, only saying that it continues to have regular discussions with civil service unions.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has responded to these concerns by commissioning new legal advice on whether Israel’s actions in Gaza comply with international humanitarian law. It was reported that the government planned to introduce restrictions on arms sales to Israel, but this decision was delayed. The government is still trying to figure out which UK-made weapons might have been used in the conflict and whether they were used for offensive or defensive purposes.
