UK Foreign Office Official Resigns Over Israel Arms Sales, Citing War Crime Concerns
A British Foreign Office official, who had been involved in counter-terrorism efforts, has resigned in protest over the UK’s arms sales to Israel, alleging that the government might be complicit in war crimes. Mark Smith, the official who was stationed at the British Embassy in Dublin, stated that he had repeatedly raised his concerns through official channels, including a whistleblowing mechanism, but received only cursory acknowledgments.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) refrained from commenting on Smith’s case but emphasized the government’s commitment to upholding international law.
Smith’s resignation email, seen by the BBC, was sent to a wide array of government officials, embassy staff, and special advisors. In the email, Smith expressed his dismay at the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel, especially given his experience working on Middle East arms export licensing. He described witnessing “clear and undeniable examples” of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law by Israel in Gaza.
Smith accused senior Israeli officials of expressing genocidal intent and condemned the destruction of civilian property, blocking of humanitarian aid, and attacks on Red Crescent ambulances, schools, and hospitals—actions he classified as war crimes. He argued there was “no justification for the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel.”
In response, the FCDO pointed out that Foreign Secretary David Lammy had launched a review on his first day in office to evaluate whether Israel was adhering to international humanitarian law.
Smith’s resignation is particularly notable, as such principled resignations are rare within the British government, despite widespread dissent among officials in the UK, Europe, and the US over their governments’ stance on the conflict in Gaza.
Smith, who held the role of Second Secretary Counter Terrorism, described himself as a “subject matter expert” in arms sales policy, with extensive experience in the diplomatic service. He criticized the UK’s arms export licensing regime, calling it far from the “robust and transparent” system that ministers claim it to be.
The UK has licensed weapons exports to Israel valued at £574m ($727m) since 2008, with £42m ($53m) in exports in 2022 alone. Despite the criticism, the UK government has downplayed the scale of these exports, referring to them as “relatively small.”
Israel has consistently denied violating international humanitarian law in Gaza, arguing that its actions are aimed at defeating Hamas, which it describes as a “genocidal terrorist organization.” Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has yet to issue arrest warrants requested for Israel’s prime minister, defense minister, and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.
An FCDO spokesperson reiterated the government’s stance, affirming that the UK would not export items that could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. The spokesperson also mentioned the ongoing review process initiated by the Foreign Secretary, with updates expected once the review is complete.
