Army Major Harrison Mann resigns in protest of US support for Israel's actions towards Palestinians
Estimated 36,000 civilian deaths in Gaza according to Hamas reports
ICC threatens arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes
Mann: 'incredible shame and guilt' over Biden's 'unwavering support'
Six US government officials, dozens more dissent cables signed in protest
US and Israel not recognizing ICC jurisdiction over conflict
In a striking display of dissent, Army Major Harrison Mann, a 13-year veteran and Jewish American who worked in the Defense Intelligence Agency's Middle East bureau, has resigned from his post in protest of the United States' unwavering support for Israel's actions towards Palestinians. In an exclusive interview with CBS News, Mann expressed his deep concern over President Biden's 'nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel,' which he claims has caused him 'incredible shame and guilt.'
Mann is not alone in his dissent; six US government officials have also resigned in protest over US support for the conflict, while dozens more signed dissent cables expressing their anger. The situation in Gaza has led to an estimated 36,000 civilian deaths, according to Hamas-controlled health ministry reports. Israel claims that 15,000 of the dead were Hamas fighters.
Despite the controversy surrounding Israel's actions and calls for accountability from various corners of the globe, the US and Israel remain among the 122 countries not recognizing the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction over this conflict. The ICC has threatened arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.
As civilians continue to suffer in Gaza, Mann's resignation serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of the ongoing conflict and highlights the need for a more nuanced approach to supporting Israel from the US government. While some may argue that US support is necessary for Israel's security, Mann's actions demonstrate that there are those who believe this support comes at too great a cost to both innocent lives and America's own moral standing.
Maj. Harrison Mann, a Jewish American and 13-year U.S. Army veteran, resigned from the U.S. Army due to the nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel.
Mann claims that this support has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians.
He is the first from the military and intelligence community to publicly resign in protest of U.S. support for Israel’s war.
More than six U.S. government officials have also resigned in protest.
Mann believes that U.S. weapons have enabled Israel’s indiscriminate targeting of Palestinian civilians since its response to Hamas’ Oct 7 attack and ongoing capture of Jewish hostages.
Accuracy
He estimates that over 36,000 people have been killed in Gaza due to Israel’s ground and air operations.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the author's position against U.S. support for Israel and implies facts without linking to peer-reviewed studies or retracted studies regarding the number of civilians killed in Gaza. The author also makes emotional appeals and uses loaded language such as 'nearly unqualified support', 'enabled and empowered', 'killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians', 'ethnic cleansing' and 'not good for the near- or long-term security of Israel'. The author also makes a false equivalence between Israel's actions and Hamas' Oct. 7 attack and ongoing capture of Jewish hostages.
The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry has estimated that Israel’s ground and air operations in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 people.
If you are somebody who is really motivated by the concern to protect Jewish life, you should be fighting for [Israel] to wind down the war, to conduct it in a way that does not turn basically the whole world against them. That is not good for the near- or long-term security of Israel.
The United States’ nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel, which he claims has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians.
I don’t agree that the cry of ‘never again’ that galvanized Jews after the Holocaust warrants Israel’s current response. They’re not responding in a way that is productive for the security of the state of Israel or Jews worldwide.
Fallacies
(80%)
The author makes an appeal to emotion by using the phrase 'nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel' and 'enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians'. This is an attempt to elicit an emotional response from readers rather than presenting factual evidence. The author also uses loaded language such as 'ethnic cleansing' which is a highly charged term that goes beyond the facts presented in the article.
]The United States’ nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel[
I’m confident saying it’s certainly some measure of ethnic cleansing. I do not think it is in the spirit of ‘never again.’[
Bias
(0%)
The authors express a clear bias against Israel's actions in Gaza towards the Palestinians. They quote Major Harrison Mann making statements that depict Israel as indiscriminately targeting Palestinian civilians and suggest that Israeli actions amount to ethnic cleansing.
I don’t know how you kill 35,000 civilians by accident,
They’re not responding in a way that is productive for the security of the state of Israel or Jews worldwide,
Army Major Harrison Mann resigned from the Defense Intelligence Agency in protest of US support for Israel’s actions in Gaza
Mann served in the army for 13 years and is the first US military, intelligence community, and Jewish official to resign over Israel’s war in Gaza
Former Al-Ahli hospital explosion was determined not to be caused by Israeli forces but bombing of several Palestinian hospitals went uninvestigated
Mann felt shame and guilt for being part of the machine supporting Israeli military actions leading to civilian deaths in Gaza
Reactions from colleagues were overwhelmingly positive and supportive after Mann’s resignation announcement
Accuracy
Mann believes that US weapons have enabled Israel’s indiscriminate targeting of Palestinian civilians since its response to Hamas’ Oct 7 attack and ongoing capture of Jewish hostages.
Six US government officials have also resigned in protest.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The author makes an appeal to emotion when describing the moment when he decided to resign due to the bombing of a hospital in Gaza and his Jewish upbringing. He also uses loaded language such as 'unqualified support' and 'mass killing' without providing evidence or context.
It’s rare for US military officers to resign in protest, but Army Major Harrison Mann decided he had to. Until yesterday, he worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency, specializing in the Middle East. Former Army Maj. Harrison Mann resigned from the Defense Intelligence Agency to protest what he calls Washington’s ‘unqualified support’ for Israel that he says has ‘enabled’ the killing of Palestinian civilians.
I ultimately want at least [a] plurality or large number of people inside the national security and military workforce who are contributing to the mass killing in Gaza and know that it’s wrong, to understand that they are not alone, and to try and make them feel empowered to try and do more than nothing about it. I felt alone, I felt powerless. I discovered a lot of other people feel that way, but I want folks out there who are in my position, first of all, to understand the hard truth that if you feel like what you’re doing is wrong, I don’t think anybody else is going to pop out and tell you it’s time to stop. Because I waited for that moment for a very long time and it did not happen.
If your goal is to defeat an organization whose ideology is hating Israel, bombing everyone’s grandma is probably not the best way to do it.
Bias
(75%)
The author expresses a clear bias against the US support for Israel's actions in Gaza, using terms like 'unqualified' and 'enabled' to describe the US role. The author also expresses guilt and shame over being part of the machine that supports Israeli military actions, indicating a negative view towards Israel.
I think I, for better or worse, had a front row seat to everything that was happening in Gaza. I submitted a request to resign last November, citing what he called ‘unqualified’ US support for Israel that he says has ‘enabled’ the killing of Palestinian civilians.
It’s rare for US military officers to resign in protest, but Army Major Harrison Mann decided he had to. Until yesterday, he worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency, specializing in the Middle East. Former Army Maj. Harrison Mann resigned from the Defense Intelligence Agency to protest what he calls Washington’s ‘unqualified’ support for Israel that he says has ‘enabled’ the killing of Palestinian civilians.
I ultimately want at least [a] plurality or large number of people inside the national security and military workforce who are contributing to the mass killing in Gaza and know that it’s wrong, to understand that they are not alone, and to try and make them feel empowered to try and do more than nothing about it. I felt alone, I felt powerless. I discovered a lot of other people feel that way, but I want folks out there who are in my position, first of all, to understand the hard truth that if you feel like what you’re doing is wrong, I don’t think anybody else is going to pop out and tell you it’s time to stop. Because I waited for that moment for a very long time and it did not happen.
Reactions to resignation What happened to you after you resigned and described why you were leaving? I was very afraid about what the reaction was going to be, which is why it took me so long to be honest about it with the people that I worked with. But the response was overwhelmingly positive and supportive from the people that I worked with.
U.S. Army major Harrison Mann resigned from his position in the Defense Intelligence Agency
Mann resigned to protest U.S. military support for Israel’s war in Gaza
Accuracy
Mann resigned to protest U.S. military support for Israel's war in Gaza
Mann believes that U.S. weapons have enabled Israel's indiscriminate targeting of Palestinian civilians since its response to Hamas’ Oct 7 attack and ongoing capture of Jewish hostages.
Mann accused Israel of causing the mass starvation and death of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza.
Maj. Harrison Mann resigned from his position in the Defense Intelligence Agency to protest U.S. military support for Israel's actions in Gaza.
Accuracy
Mann resigned from his position in the Defense Intelligence Agency due to his objection to the United States' support of Israel's actions in Gaza.
Mann believes that U.S. weapons have enabled Israel's indiscriminate targeting of Palestinian civilians since its response to Hamas’ Oct 7 attack and ongoing capture of Jewish hostages.
A Jewish-American Army Major, Harrison Mann, resigned from his post at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in protest of US support for Israel’s actions towards Palestinians.
Mann accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and causing the mass starvation and death of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza.
He served in the DIA’s Middle East bureau for 13 years before resigning in November 2021.
Mann criticized President Biden’s ‘nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel’, causing him ‘incredible shame and guilt’.
Six US government officials have resigned in protest over US support for the conflict, while dozens signed dissent cables expressing their anger.
The number of civilians killed in Gaza is estimated to be 36,000, according to Hamas-controlled health ministry reports. Israel claims that 15,000 of the dead were Hamas fighters.
Israel and the US are not among the 122 countries recognizing the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has threatened arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for war crimes.
Biden warned Israel against attacking Rafah, a city in Gaza, as it could halt the supply of offensive weapons. The White House sent envoy Brett McGurk to revive a ceasefire plan.
Mann published his resignation letter after the US promised to continue arming Israel despite violating international humanitarian law.
Accuracy
The number of civilians killed in Gaza is estimated to be 36,000, according to Hamas-controlled health ministry reports.
Israel claims that 15,000 of the dead were Hamas fighters.
Deception
(30%)
The author makes an unsubstantiated claim of 'ethnic cleansing' by Israel without providing any evidence or citing peer-reviewed studies. He also uses emotional manipulation by describing the images as 'horrific and heartbreaking'. The article does not disclose sources.
And I have been unable to ignore the connection between those images and my duties here.
I’m confident saying it’s certainly some measure of ethnic cleansing,
Fallacies
(50%)
The author makes an unsubstantiated claim that Israel's actions against Palestinians constitute 'ethnic cleansing'. This is a loaded and inflammatory term that implies a level of intentionality and malice not supported by the evidence presented in the article. The author also uses emotive language such as 'mass starvation of children' to elicit an emotional response from readers, which can cloud their judgment. These fallacies reduce the credibility of the author's argument and lower the score.
Mann is confident saying it's certainly some measure of ethnic cleansing
Israel's response to the October 7 attack has turned the whole world against it
Bias
(0%)
The author uses the term 'ethnic cleansing' to describe Israel's actions towards Palestinians without providing any evidence or context to support this claim. This is an example of biased language that demonizes one side and implies extreme actions.
I’m confident saying it’s certainly some measure of ethnic cleansing,
