How weapons deal with Britain’s foreign policy? Arms
The certificate of former Foreign Ministry Policy Advisor Mark Smith confirms exactly what the campaign was against arms trade for decades-the UK weapons control system relies on its essence (I saw the inadequacy and collusion with war crimes. For this reason I left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the United Kingdom, 9 February). When we successfully took the government to the court to stop arming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the main legal and moral questions were the same. How can the UK government continue to provide weapons in the face of overwhelming evidence to commit the most horrific crimes against civilians?
What indicates Smith’s evidence is that the only way of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue doing so is to bully civil service and diplomats staff to change their reports, warn them against leaving any written evidence, or even asking them to “delete correspondence.” There was a systematic effort to address and suppress the truth.
Unfortunately, what we see is not a “broken” export license system, but it works exactly as intended-as Smith says, it serves “the creation of an interface of legitimacy, while allowing the most terrible crimes against humanity.”
Thousands of activists were justified throughout the United Kingdom, but it was too late for tens of thousands of the Palestinian and Yemeni people, who were killed with weapons and components exported from the United Kingdom. This should be an invitation to wake up and lead to a systematic change in our arms export license system.
Dr. Sam Pirlo Freeman
Research coordinator, campaign against arms trade
Mark Smith’s brave and building stance shows how British foreign policy has become at risk and weak. In Trump’s world after Britain’s exit from the European Union, it seems that our only “principles” seem to be a slave support for anything that the United States government considers in its interest.
Our partners in the former European Union must despair, while the American President “transactions” imagine golf stadiums on the ruins and graves of Gaza. Attempts by politicians and civilian employees deserve to circumvent the clear recipes of international law and ethics in general. We need to call this collusion with genocide.
Paul Bennett
London
As a citizen who has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for several years, I would like to congratulate Mark Smith on his sincerity and courage to resign in ethical issues. I worked abroad for most of my adult life, including in Lebanon, and I am very concerned about the Palestinian issue, and I get to know it.
The right to war against the Palestinians calls for genocide, and clearly shows the complicity of the British government. I am the second of his invitation to other civil service employees in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pressure the government to end this unacceptable policy.
Helen Jones
Bristol
Mark Smith has learned that the UK government does not care about the Palestinians, or committed war crimes against them. What the government cares about is money. The UK achieves a nice profit from the sale of weapons to Israel. In addition, by communicating with the genocide in Gaza, it can maintain good relations with its supreme commercial partner, the United States. The government does not care about fairness, justice or honesty. Mr. Smith’s problem is that he has a conscience.
Laura Harling
Eldurado Hills, California, United States