A former US Army officer issued a letter on 13 May explaining that his resignation in November was over his nation’s “unqualified support” for Israel’s war on Gaza.
Major Harrison Mann is the first known official at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to resign over the US support for Israel.
Speaking about the role of the DIA office, he notes that it not only overlooks but enforces the policies that enable unchecked violence against Palestinians.
“The policy that has never been far from my mind for the past six months is the nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel, which has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians,” Mann said, adding that the unconditional supports also risk a wider war.
Mann emphasized that his work brought him “incredible shame and guilt” after mulling over the connection of his position to the images coming out of Gaza.
“I hoped if I held on a little longer, the war would be over,” Mann wrote in justification for why he kept his position following the start of Israel’s aggressions on Gaza. “I hoped time and again that the latest ‘outrage’ would finally prompt a material shift in support for Israel.”
“Above all, I was afraid. Afraid of violating our professional norms. Afraid of disappointing officers I respect. Afraid you would feel betrayed,” he said.
The former officer added, “It became difficult to defend the outcomes of this particular policy. At some point … you’re either advancing a policy that enables the mass starvation of children, or you’re not.”
“I want to clarify that as the descendent of European Jews, I was raised in a particularly unforgiving moral environment when it came to the topic of bearing responsibility for ethnic cleansing,” he noted.
Recent numbers show that 35,173 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s aggressions on Gaza, over 14,500 of whom were children.
A US report released earlier this month absolved Israel of any war crimes being committed in Gaza with the use of US-made arms.
“It is reasonable to assess that [US] defense articles … have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its [international humanitarian law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm,” the report read, saying that data on the matter was “inconclusive.”
US President Joe Biden reiterated today that “the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad” in his congratulatory message to Israel on the 76th anniversary of the state, also known as Nakba Day, which commemorates the displacement of Palestinians in 1948.
Many US military and government officials have resigned in protest against Washington’s support of Israel.
US airman Aaron Bushnell self-emulated in protest to the official US position outside of Israel’s embassy in Washington, DC, in February of this year.
“I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” Bushnell said in a live stream prior to the act. After lighting himself on fire, he could be heard yelling “Free Palestine!” through the flames before collapsing.
Other officials who resigned include Josh Paul, the director of congressional and public affairs at the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, who cited feeling that staying would do more harm than good.