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A senior Officer in the Army who also serves as an intelligence official for the Pentagon and works for the Biden administration has resigned for over what he terms as “enabling the mass starvation of children” in Gaza.
Harrison Mann, a major in the US Army and an intelligence officer at the Pentagon, announced his resignation in a LinkedIn post, citing severe moral objections to the US government’s unconditional support of Israel.
In his resignation letter, Mann expressed deep guilt about his role, stating, “I submitted my resignation on November 1, feeling incredible shame and guilt over my contributions to the Pentagon’s policies in Gaza.” According to Mann, his decision was influenced by his Jewish heritage, which instilled in him the importance of opposing “ethnic cleansing.” He added, “Each of us signed up to serve knowing we might have to support policies we weren’t fully convinced of. Our defense institutions couldn’t function otherwise. However, at some point it became difficult to defend the outcomes of this particular policy. At some point — whatever the justification — you’re either advancing a policy that enables the mass starvation of children, or you’re not.
Mann’s resignation comes as some have raised concerns over the United States stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza. He detailed his feelings of isolation and fear within the Pentagon, expressing that the internal dissent and the silence around it made his situation intolerable. “The hardest part of the past six months was feeling totally alone,” he shared in his letter.
This resignation follows other notable protests within the US government and military regarding the situation in Gaza. Last month, Hala Rharrit, a State Department spokesperson, resigned, condemning the support of what she termed “genocide” as “inhumane” and a violation of international law.
Another view:
Top Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have said that while some of Israel’s actions have killed innocent civilians, he disagrees with the notion that “Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.” According to Austin, the increase in civilian deaths is mainly due to Hamas placing command and control centers nearby (sometimes within) civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and places of worship.
