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Army intelligence officer resigns due to 'unqualified' US support for Gaza onslaught

Tuesday, 14 May 2024 10:40 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 14 May 2024 10:40 AM ]

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on May 7, 2024. (Photo by Reuters)

A US military intelligence official says he resigned from the Department of Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) due to the “nearly unqualified support” that Washington has provided for Israel’s war in Gaza and the harm inflicted on Palestinians there.

Major Harrison Mann, in a resignation letter posted on LinkedIn on Monday, explained to colleagues the reason for his “abrupt departure” from the agency.

He said the Joe Biden administration’s support for the Gaza onslaught “has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians [in the coastal sliver].”

Mann, who resigned on November 1, noted that he kept quiet about his motives for resigning for months out of fear.

“I was afraid. Afraid of violating our professional norms. Afraid of disappointing officers I respect. Afraid you would feel betrayed. I’m sure some of you will feel that way reading this.”

Mann served as a US Army officer for 13 years, with a posting as a security cooperation officer at the US embassy in Tunis.

Iran: Bushnell’s anti-Israel action bespeaks ‘awakened consciences’ in US

The American airman was the voice of the awakened consciences in the United States, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said.

According to his LinkedIn account, he served as an intelligence analyst for the West Asia region at DIA following his mission in Tunisia, and most recently worked as an “executive officer” at the agency’s Middle East and Africa center.

Mann said he felt ashamed and guilty for helping advance US policy that he said contributed to the mass killing of Palestinians.

“At some point — whatever the justification — you’re either advancing a policy that enables the mass starvation of children, or you’re not,” he wrote in his resignation letter.

Mann’s public resignation marks the first time a US Army officer and member of the intelligence community has publicly resigned in protest against US support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

However, he is not the first member of the US military to protest against Washington’s massive support for the Tel Aviv regime.

Back in February, 25-year-old US Air Force serviceman Aaron Bushnell self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. as he screamed “Free Palestine,” in protest against the Biden administration's Gaza policy. He later died of his severe burns.

The Department of State has also witnessed two public resignations in protest against US support for Israel, the most notable of which was the departure of Josh Paul, a former director overseeing US arms transfers.

Annelle Sheline, a foreign affairs officer on a two-year contract with the State Department, also stepped down in March.

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