Monday, August 19, 2024
Resignation should prompt arms sales ban
The Guardian reports that a Foreign Office official has resigned over the UK’s refusal to ban arms exports to Israel because of alleged breaches of international law.
The paper says that Mark Smith, a counter-terrorism official based at the British embassy in Dublin, said he had resigned after making numerous internal complaints, including through an official whistleblowing mechanism, but receiving nothing but pro-forma responses:
Smith said he had previously worked in Middle East arms export licensing assessment for the government and “each day” colleagues were witnessing “clear and unquestionable examples” of war crimes and breaches of international humanitarian law by Israel in Gaza.
“Senior members of the Israeli government and military have expressed open genocidal intent, Israeli soldiers take videos deliberately burning, destroying and looting civilian property,” he wrote. “Over half of Gaza’s homes and over 80% of Gaza’s commercial properties have been damaged or destroyed.
“Whole streets and universities have been demolished, humanitarian aid is being blocked and civilians are regularly left with no safe quarter to flee to. Red Crescent ambulances have been attacked, schools and hospitals are regularly targeted. These are war crimes.”
He said there was “no justification for the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel, yet somehow it continues”.
This is an issue that has been highlighted a number of times in Parliament. The UK government may not be actually selling the arms but they are licensing their export, and while they do so they are implicitly endorsing these attrocities.
If we are to get any sort of ceasefire, we have to force the Israeli government to the table and the best way to do that is to reduce their ability to make war on civilians in the way they have been.
