AhlulBayt News Agency: More than 300 Foreign Office staff have been advised to consider resigning after expressing concerns about the UK’s support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
In a letter sent to Foreign Secretary David Lammy on May 16, the officials questioned the UK government’s continued arms sales to Israel.
The Foreign Office responded by stating that if their disagreement with government policy was profound, their ultimate option was to resign from the Civil Service.
“This is an honorable course,” the response added.
One official who signed the letter described the response as “outrageous,” while a former official called it “obfuscation.”
“There is frustration and a deep sense of disappointment that the space for challenge is being further shut down,” said one of the signatories.
The officials who signed the letter represent a broad range of expertise across Foreign Office departments, embassies, and missions in London and abroad.
In their letter, they criticized the UK government’s continued arms sales to Israel and Tel Aviv’s blatant disregard for international law.
The officials urged the government to suspend its free trade agreement with Israel, halt all arms sales, publish legal advice given to ministers, and conduct an evidence-based review of the UK’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
They also warned that maintaining the current relationship with Israel could damage the UK’s international reputation.
In its response, the Foreign Office stated that Israel is “at risk” of violating humanitarian law, which is the threshold for barring arms exports. However, it argued that only international courts could determine whether breaches of international law had occurred, a process that could take years.
The UK government has faced criticism for making exceptions to its partial suspension of arms export licenses to Israel, particularly allowing the continued shipment of components for F-35 fighter jets.
The exemption for F-35 components is currently being challenged in the UK High Court by the NGOs Global Legal Action Network and Al-Haq.
A case in the UK High Court in May raised serious concerns that Britain may be complicit in Israel’s actions in Gaza, as it continues to supply weapons and military components, including F-35 fighter jets, which have been used in attacks that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
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