U.S. Military Officer Steps Down Following Alleged Torment Over America's Alleged Endorsement of Gazan "Ethnic Cleansing" Affairs
Resignation of US Army Officer Over Gaza Support
In a bold move, a US Army officer, Major Harrison Mann, has tendered his resignation from the Department of Defense in protest against the Biden administration's backing of Israel's conflict in Gaza.
Mann, who served as a US Army officer for 13 years, including a stint as a security cooperation officer at the US embassy in Tunis, announced his departure in a letter posted on LinkedIn on November 1st. He cited the "nearly unqualified support" the US has provided Israel, which he believes was responsible for the deaths and suffering of thousands of innocent Palestinians in Gaza.
"At some point...you're either advancing a policy that enables [the] mass starvation of children, or you're not," he wrote. "I know that I did, in my small way, wittingly advance that policy."
Following his time in Tunisia, Mann served as a Middle East intelligence analyst at the Department of Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and most recently as an "executive officer" at the agency's Middle East and Africa center. His departure marks the first time a US Army officer and member of the intelligence community has publicly resigned over US support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Two high-profile resignations have come from the State Department over the same issue. In March, Annelle Sheline, a foreign affairs officer on a two-year contract with the State Department, and Josh Paul, a former director overseeing US arms transfers, both stepped down in protest.
Mann acknowledged the relatively minor role he played at DIA, expressing his shame and guilt over the situation. He spoke of the harrowing images he saw and the connection between these images and his duties, stating, "This caused me incredible shame and guilt."
Citing his European Jewish ancestry, Mann confessed to feeling haunted by what he perceived as his failure to live up to the "unforgiving moral environment when it came to the topic of bearing responsibility for ethnic cleansing."
The environment at DIA, according to Mann, was one where few colleagues spoke out against the war in Gaza or US support for Israel. He described feeling as though he was "living in an alternate universe."
When contacted for comment by Middle East Eye, Mann did not respond by the time of publication.
Mann's resignation comes as US and Israeli defense ties face increased scrutiny, with President Biden threatening to withhold offensive arms from Israel over its actions at Rafah[1]. In a recent report, the Biden administration stated that there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel used American-supplied weapons "inconsistent" with international humanitarian law[2]. However, they stopped short of making a final judgement.
While the resignation of Major Harrison Mann is a notable case, it seems he is not the only member of the US military to question U.S. support for Israel. In February of this year, 25-year-old US Air Force serviceman Aaron Bushnell self-immolated outside Israel's embassy in Washington DC in protest[3]. He later succumbed to his injuries, screaming "Free Palestine," as he protested against the Biden administration's policies on Gaza.
Mann's resignation letter details his inner struggles between military duty and personal opposition to US support for Israel, admitting that he told himself he didn't make policy and it wasn't his place to question it[3]. He acknowledges that some colleagues may feel betrayed, but he believes that if he was afraid to voice his concerns, others were too.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-stands-tough-with-israel-over-palestinians/2023/10/14/278a13ae-f954-11ed-bebe-b4501db0ee6f_story.html[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-investigating-israeli-use-american-arms-gaza-options-consistent-law-2023-10-10/[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/us/politics/us-army-officer-resigns-israel-gaza.html
- The resignation of US Army officer Major Harrison Mann, who expressed his opposition to the Biden administration's support for Israel's conflict in Gaza, marks a first within the intelligence community.
- In a recent report, the Biden administration stated that there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel used American-supplied weapons "inconsistent" with international humanitarian law, but stopped short of making a final judgement.
- Moving forward, the US and Israeli defense ties face increased scrutiny, with President Biden threatening to withhold offensive arms from Israel over its actions at Rafah.
- Two other resignations over the same issue have come from the State Department, with Annelle Sheline, a foreign affairs officer, and Josh Paul, a former director overseeing US arms transfers, both stepping down in protest earlier this year.
