London’s harsh reply to staff protesting Gaza war: Quit or conform

Over 300 Foreign Office staff, who expressed concerns in a letter that the UK's policies might make Britain complicit in Israel's potential war crimes in Gaza, faced a sharp response: if their opposition is serious, they should resign.

This marks the fourth internal protest letter from British employees regarding the Gaza war, which began in October 2023.

In a letter dated May 16, employees from various embassies worldwide and with different levels of seniority raised questions about the UK's continued arms sales to Israel and its apparent disregard for international law.

The Foreign Office responded that mechanisms exist for raising concerns and emphasized that the UK government has "fully adhered to international law" in relation to the Gaza conflict.

In the official response, Oliver Robbins, the Foreign Office Permanent Secretary, told the protesters: "If your disagreement with any aspect of government policy is profound, your final recourse is resignation. This is an honorable act."

The employees' letter stated: "In July 2024, staff raised concerns about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and the potential complicity of the UK government."

It referenced the killing of 15 aid workers by Israeli forces in March and the complete suspension of humanitarian aid to Gaza in the same month, which "many experts and humanitarian organizations described as the use of starvation as a weapon of war."

The letter's authors warned that the UK government's stance has contributed to "undermining global norms" and pointed to the continued arms sales and the visit of Israel's Foreign Minister to London in April, despite concerns about breaches of international law.

The letter also noted: "With the support of the Trump administration, the Israeli government has presented overt plans for the forced displacement of Gaza's population."

The Foreign Office's official response reiterated that employees are entitled to their personal views but reminded them that resignation is "the final and honorable recourse" for those deeply opposed to government policies.