Foreign Office may be complicit in Israeli war crimes, says British diplomat

A British diplomat has resigned from the Foreign Office saying that he believes the department “may be complicit in war crimes” for continuing to allow arms sales to Israel.
Mark Smith, listed as a second secretary in the British embassy in Ireland, wrote in a resignation letter to colleagues that was posted online that members of the Israeli government and military had expressed “open genocidal intent”.
Smith said that it was “deeply troubling” that the FCO had “disregarded” his concerns about the legality of continued arms sales.
He wrote: “It is with sadness that I resign after a long career in the diplomatic service, however I can no longer carry out my duties in the knowledge that this department may be complicit in war crimes.”
Smith said he was a former penholder on the arms export licensing assessment in the Middle East and North African Department, experience that he said made him a “subject matter expert” on arms sales policy.
“Each day we witness clear and unquestionable examples of war crimes and breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza perpetuated by the state of Israel,” he said. “Senior members of the Israeli government and military have expressed open genocidal intent, Israeli soldiers take videos deliberately burning, destroying and looting civilian property and openly admit to the rape and torture of prisoners.”
He added: “There is no justification for the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel and yet somehow it continues. I have raised this at every level in the organisation including through an official whistleblowing investigation, and received nothing more than ‘thank you we have noted your concern’.
“Ministers claim the UK has one of the most ‘robust and transparent’ arms export licensing regimes in the world, however this is the opposite of the truth.”
He concluded his letter: “I hope that we can look back on history and be proud.”
When in opposition, David Lammy, now the foreign secretary, urged the FCO to publish its formal legal advice as to whether Israel was complying with international humanitarian law.
An FCO spokesman said: “This government is committed to upholding international lawWe have made clear that we will not export items if they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
“There is an ongoing review process to assess whether Israel is complying with international humanitarian law, which the foreign secretary initiated on day one in office. We will provide an update as soon as that review process has been completed.”
Since 2008, the UK has licensed arms worth more than £576 million to Israel, according to analysis of government export data by the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
In June, the government published data on licences granted to Israel since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, showing that it had issued 108 licences between October 7, 2023 and May 31 this year.
This week, the US and its fellow mediators, Egypt and Qatar, said they were closing in on a ceasefire deal after two days of talks in Doha. American and Israeli officials expressed cautious optimism, despite Hamas having shown resistance to what it called new demands from Israel.
Lammy visited Israel last week with Stéphane Séjourné, the French foreign minister, and released a joint statement with him in which they expressed a “commitment to working ever more closely together in a new spirit of co-operation”.
The statement said: “Our visit to a Palestine Red Crescent Society warehouse was a stark reminder of the toll of this conflict, which is unacceptable. Without progress towards a ceasefire, this will only worsen. Brave healthcare workers across humanitarian organisations are racing to prevent an all-out polio outbreak but they can only start vaccinating if it’s safe to do so.
“It’s never too late for peace. An all-out conflict across the region is in nobody’s interests. All parties need to show restraint and invest in diplomacy.”
The war has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, displaced the vast majority of the territory’s 2.3 million residents and led experts to warn of famine and the outbreak of diseases such as polio.