On Monday, a UK diplomat, Mark Smith, publicly accused Israel of committing “war crimes in plain sight” against Palestinians, following his resignation from the Foreign Office. Smith, who previously worked on licensing arms sales in the Middle East, expressed his concerns over British arms sales to Israel and criticized the Foreign Office’s response as “not satisfactory.”
Smith revealed that he had raised his concerns at every level of the ministry, including with Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Despite this, the Foreign Office has stated that it is still conducting a review of the arms sales initiated by Lammy after he assumed office following last month’s election. The ministry emphasized that it does not condone the misuse of UK weaponry against civilians.
Israel has denied allegations of war crimes in Gaza, where over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas and other extremist groups took 1,200 Israeli lives in October. However, Smith, in an interview with the BBC, argued that the actions of the Israeli state meet the criteria for war crimes, evident even from open-source footage available on television.
Smith’s resignation became public over the weekend when a letter he wrote to colleagues was posted online. In the letter, he alleged that members of the Israeli government and military had shown “open genocidal intent.” He also expressed deep concern that the Foreign Office had ignored his warnings about the legality of continuing arms sales to Israel.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, Smith reiterated his belief that war crimes were being committed “flagrantly and openly” by Israel. He declined to elaborate on the specific responses he received from Lammy and other top officials but noted that his resignation was directly tied to their unsatisfactory responses.
The resignation comes at a critical time, as US-led mediators express cautious optimism about a potential ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, Lammy, while in opposition, had previously urged the Foreign Office to publish its formal legal advice on Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) reiterated the UK’s commitment to upholding international law, stating that the government would not export items that might be used to violate international humanitarian law. The spokesperson also confirmed that a review is ongoing to assess Israel’s compliance, with an update to be provided upon completion.
According to the Campaign Against Arms Trade, the UK has licensed over £576 million worth of arms to Israel since 2008. Recent government data revealed that 42 arms licenses had been granted to Israel between October 7 and May 31 following the Hamas attack on Israel.
Smith’s resignation and accusations have added a new layer of scrutiny to the UK’s arms sales to Israel, with the ongoing review likely to face heightened public and political attention.–News Desk