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Hundreds of Officials In the US and Europe Signed a Collective Letter Criticizing the Policy of Supporting Israel

04.02.2024
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68177357

The "transatlantic statement", a copy of which was provided to the BBC, said their administrations risked being complicit in "one of the worst human disasters of this century" and their expert advice was being ignored. It is another sign of deep divisions within the governments of Israel's key Western allies.

One of the signatories, a US government official with more than 25 years of experience in national security, told the BBC about the "continuing disregard" for their concerns. “The voices of those who understand the region and its dynamics have not been heard,” he noted.

“The difference here is really that we haven’t just failed to prevent something from happening, we’re actively complicit. This is fundamentally different from any other situation in my memory,” added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The statement was signed by government officials from the US, EU and 11 European countries, including the UK, France and Germany.

It said Israel has “demonstrated no restraint” in its military operations in the Gaza Strip, “which have resulted in tens of thousands of preventable civilian deaths; and...deliberately blocking aid...exposing thousands of civilians to the risk of starvation and slow death.” “There is a distinct risk that our governments' policies contribute to serious violations of international law, war crimes and even ethnic cleansing or genocide,” the statement said.

The names of the people who signed or supported the statement are not disclosed. The BBC's correspondent has not seen the full list of names, but knows that almost half of the signatories have at least ten years' experience in public service. According to the retired American ambassador, such coordination of the actions of dissenting functionaries in the government apparatus of many countries at once is unprecedented.

“This is a unique event in the entire time that I have been observing foreign policy, which is 40 years,” said Robert Ford, former US ambassador to Algeria and Syria, in a conversation with the BBC. He compared it to concerns within the US administration in 2003 about faulty intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq, but this time many doubting officials decided not to remain silent. “[Then there were] people who knew the truth, who knew that intelligence was being given selectively, who knew that there was no post-war plan, but no one said anything publicly. And that turned out to be a major problem,” Ford said.

“The problems associated with the war in Gaza are so serious and the consequences are so dangerous that they feel obliged to make it public,” he noted. The officials wrote in their letter that the military, political and diplomatic support their governments are providing to Israel "without real conditions or accountability" could not only lead to the death of more Palestinians, but also endanger the lives of hostages held by Hamas. as well as Israel's own security and regional stability.

“Israel’s military operations ignored all the important counter-terrorism experience gained since 9/11... the [military] operation did not contribute to Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas, but instead increased the attractiveness of Hamas, Hezbollah and other negative actors,” the collective letter said. . Officials say they raised their professional concerns through internal channels but were “overruled on political and ideological grounds.”

One senior British official who backed the announcement told the BBC there was "growing concern" among civil servants. The official referred to the impact of last week's preliminary ruling by the International Court of Justice in a case brought by South Africa, which required Israel to do everything possible to prevent acts of genocide.

“Our Foreign Secretary [David Cameron] dismissively described South Africa's claim as 'not helping the cause'. This puts the whole [rules-based international order] at risk,” said a British official, also on condition of anonymity. “We have heard ministers brush off allegations against the Israeli government, apparently without receiving proper and informed legal advice. Our current approach, it seems to me, does not serve the interests of the UK, the region or the world order,” our interlocutor added.

 

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