Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Politics
Anealla Safdar

Dissenting civil servants are silenced, says UK diplomat who quit over Gaza

Pro-Palestinian protesters attend a demonstration outside the UK Parliament, organised by campaign groups, calling for sanctions on Israel on June 4, 2025 [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]

London, United Kingdom – Mark Smith, a diplomat who quit his Foreign Office job over the UK’s refusal to stop selling arms to Israel, said civil servants who question the onslaught in Gaza are routinely silenced by their seniors.

“Thousands of conversations within the walls of the Foreign Office on the most controversial aspects of our arms sales policy will never be seen by the public [and] never be put to a court,” he said on Friday in London, at an unofficial inquiry probing alleged UK complicity in Israeli war crimes.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.