EXCLUSIVEHead of defence college asked military official to ensure the government took ownership of the ban, emails reveal.The United Kingdom’s decision to ban Israelis from a top military college over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza prompted concern about the college’s reputation internally, with its leadership seeking to distance the institution from the decision, emails from the college, which have been obtained by Al Jazeera, reveal.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced the ban on Israelis attending the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) in September last year after Israel unveiled plans to launch a major ground assault on Gaza City.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe British government made the decision, which was widely reported in international media, amid a wave of condemnation of Israel’s escalation of the war, calling the planned ground offensive “wrong”.Previously unreported correspondence shows that the move prompted discussion within the RCDS about potential harm to its reputation as an institution which welcomes students of all backgrounds, leading its head to ask a senior military official to ensure that the public would be aware that the college played no role in the decision.RCDS commandant George Norton asked Tom Copinger-Symes, a British army lieutenant general, for his help in shaping the public narrative while a government minister was preparing to answer a question about the ban in the UK’s upper house of parliament.In an email sent shortly after the ban was announced, Norton told Copinger-Symes that it would “appear to be important” for Jenny Chapman, the UK’s d …
