Greater than 300 Overseas Workplace workers who raised considerations about potential UK “complicity” in Israel’s conduct in Gaza have been advised in the event that they profoundly disagreed with authorities coverage they may think about resigning.
The workers letter, seen by the BBC, was despatched to Overseas Secretary David Lammy final month.
In it, officers questioned the UK’s continued arms gross sales and what they referred to as a “stark… disregard for worldwide legislation” by Israel.
The Overseas Workplace stated it had techniques for employees to boost considerations and added the federal government had “rigorously utilized worldwide legislation” in relation to the struggle in Gaza.
The reply to the workers letter was despatched from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the 2 most senior civil servants within the Overseas Workplace.
They advised the signatories: “[I]f your disagreement with any facet of presidency coverage or motion is profound your final recourse is to resign from the Civil Service. That is an honourable course.”
The response was met with “outrage” in keeping with one official who signed the letter.
“[There is] frustration and a deep sense of disappointment that the area for problem is being additional shut down,” stated the official, talking on situation of anonymity.
The officers’ letter signed on 16 Could was at the least the fourth such doc despatched by involved civil servants to ministers and Overseas Workplace managers since late 2023.
The BBC understands the signatories symbolize a variety of experience throughout Overseas Workplace departments, embassies and missions together with in London and abroad.
The letters have mirrored the dimensions of the civilian dying toll in Gaza, Israel’s restrictions on help provide and Israeli settlement enlargement and settler violence within the occupied West Financial institution, amongst different points.
Workers are additionally stated to really feel disquiet that a lot of their warnings haven’t been acted on, and people whose jobs it’s to implement choices could possibly be liable in any future authorized proceedings towards the UK authorities.
The 16 Could letter stated: “In July 2024, workers expressed concern about Israel’s violations of worldwide humanitarian legislation and potential UK authorities complicity. Within the intervening interval, the fact of Israel’s disregard for worldwide legislation has turn out to be extra stark.”
It went on to checklist the killing by Israeli forces of 15 humanitarian staff in March and Israel’s suspension of all help to Gaza in the identical month “main many specialists and humanitarian organisations to accuse Israel of utilizing hunger as a weapon of struggle”.
It stated the UK authorities’s place had contributed to “the erosion of world norms”, citing continued weapons exports and the go to to London in April by Israel’s international minister Gideon Sa’ar “regardless of considerations about violations of worldwide legislation”.
It added that, “supported by the Trump administration, the Israeli authorities has made specific plans for the forcible switch of Gaza’s inhabitants”.
Of their response on 29 Could, Sir Oliver and Mr Dyer advised the workers the division wished to see “wholesome problem” as a part of the policy-making course of and had already arrange a “bespoke Problem Board” and common listening periods with workers to listen to considerations on this coverage space.
They wrote that officers have been entitled to their private views, however added it “is likely to be useful” to “remind” them of mechanisms obtainable to these uncomfortable with coverage.
It went on to checklist a collection of the way workers might increase points, earlier than including that resignation was an “final recourse” and “honourable course” for these with profound disagreements over authorities coverage.
“[T]he cut price on the coronary heart of the British Civil Service is that we signal as much as ship the insurance policies of the Authorities of the day wholeheartedly, throughout the limits imposed by the legislation and the Civil Service Code,” it stated.
A former official who noticed the correspondence described the response as “obfuscation”.
“This… merely supplies the federal government with supposed ‘believable deniability’ for enabling breaches of worldwide legislation,” stated the previous official who additionally spoke on situation of anonymity.
They stated that the FCDO and broader civil service appeared unable to be taught the teachings of the previous, referring to the 2016 Chilcot Report suggestions following the inquiry into the Iraq struggle.
Chilcot criticised the emergence of an “ingrained perception” inside senior ranges of the UK coverage neighborhood over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. His suggestions led to civil service reforms designed to problem “groupthink” and empowering officers to talk out about coverage considerations.
The UK authorities’s place is that Israel is “in danger” of breaching humanitarian legislation. Israel has beforehand stated it operates in keeping with worldwide legislation. Palestinian rights teams have rejected this, taking proof to a number of authorized instances introduced internationally.
In September, Overseas Secretary David Lammy introduced the suspension of round 30 arms export licenses to Israel, out of a complete of about 350, citing a “clear threat” they is likely to be used to commit or facilitate a critical violation of worldwide humanitarian legislation.
It got here weeks earlier than the Worldwide Felony Court docket (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant in addition to the navy commander of Hamas.
Israel’s authorities has constantly rejected allegations it has dedicated struggle crimes in Gaza, calling the ICC’s resolution “antisemitic”, whereas the US Division of State final week introduced sanctions towards 4 ICC judges for “transgressions towards america and Israel”.
In a press release, the FCDO stated the job of civil servants was to ship on authorities insurance policies and supply skilled, neutral recommendation as set out within the Civil Service Code.
“There are techniques in place which permit them to boost considerations if they’ve them,” stated the spokesperson. They added: “Since day one, this authorities has rigorously utilized worldwide legislation in relation to the struggle in Gaza. Considered one of our first acts in authorities was to droop export licences that could possibly be utilized by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza…
“We’ve got suspended direct exports of F-35 components to be used by Israel, and we categorically don’t export any bombs or ammunition which could possibly be utilized in Gaza,” added the spokesperson.
On 19 Could the UK issued a joint assertion with France and Canada threatening “concrete actions” towards Israel if it didn’t cease its renewed navy offensive and elevate help restrictions.
