Over 800 serving officials in the US and Europe have signed a statement warning that their own government's policies on the Israel-Gaza war could amount to "grave violations of international law."
The "transatlantic statement" signed by civil servants from the US, EU, and 11 European countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, has raised concerns about Israel's military operations in Gaza. The statement claims that their governments risk complicating "one of the worst human catastrophes of this century" but that their expert advice has been sidelined. The statement is the latest sign of significant levels of dissent within the governments of some of Israel's key Western allies.
One signatory to the statement, a US government official with more than 25 years of national security experience, told the BBC of the "continued dismissal" of their concerns. The official said that the voices of those who understand the region and the dynamics were not listened to and that there is a plausible risk that their governments' policies are contributing to grave violations of international law, war crimes, and even ethnic cleansing or genocide.
The identities of those who signed or endorsed the statement have not been made public, and the BBC has not seen a list of names but understands that nearly half are officials who each have at least a decade of experience in government. One retired US ambassador told the BBC that the coordination by dissenting civil servants in multiple governments was unprecedented.
The officials argue that the current nature of their governments' military, political, or diplomatic support for Israel "without real conditions or accountability" not only risks further Palestinian deaths but also endangers the lives of hostages held by Hamas, as well as Israel's own security and regional stability. They say that Israel's military operations have disregarded all significant counterterrorism expertise gained since 9/11 and have instead strengthened the appeal of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other hostile actors.
The statement calls for the US and European governments to "stop asserting to the public that there is a strategic and defensible rationale behind the Israeli operation." Israeli officials have consistently rejected such criticism. In response to the new statement, the Israeli embassy in London said it was bound by international law.
The statement suggests that while Israel's military operation has caused unprecedented destruction of lives and property in Gaza, there appears to be no workable strategy to effectively remove Hamas as a threat, nor for a political solution to ensure Israel's security in the longer term. It calls for the US and European governments to "stop asserting to the public that there is a strategic and defensible rationale behind the Israeli operation."
Israeli officials have repeatedly rejected claims it deliberately targets civilians, accusing Hamas of hiding in and around civilian infrastructure. Since the start of the war, more than 26,750 Palestinians have been killed and at least 65,000 injured, according to health officials in the Gaza Strip, which has been governed by Hamas and blockaded by Israel and Egypt since 2007.
The US administration has repeatedly said that "far too many Palestinians have been killed" in Gaza and that Israel has the right to ensure October 7th "can never happen again." The department has recently adopted a tougher line over elements of Israeli policy, including becoming increasingly outspoken over a failure to act against settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
In the latest statement, the most enormous numbers of signatories are understood to be working in EU institutions, the Netherlands, and the US. Most US government officials who signed are understood to work for the State Department, while others are officials serving at the White House, Homeland Security, Justice, and other government departments.
