President Joe Biden’s policy on Gaza has been labeled “a failure and a threat to U.S. national security” by 12 former U.S. government officials who resigned over his controversial approach. In their first joint public statement, shared exclusively with HuffPost, these ex-aides argue that Biden’s policy dehumanizes both Palestinians and Jews and urgently needs an overhaul.
The statement, signed by four former State Department officials, three military personnel, one from the U.S. Agency for International Development, and four from Biden’s political staff, outlines recommended steps for a policy change. The signatories suggest they will continue to challenge the administration publicly, increasing pressure on Biden’s team to show progress in winding down the U.S.-backed Israeli offensive and addressing the resulting humanitarian crisis. This statement highlights the growing dissatisfaction within the government regarding the administration’s Gaza policy.
The statement calls on current government officials to challenge their leaders and avoid complicity. Among the signatories is Anna Del Castillo, the first known White House official to resign over Gaza. Del Castillo, who was a deputy director at the Office of Administration, left her position in April.
“Each of us has sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and as our nation celebrates its Independence Day, each of us are reminded that we resigned from government not to terminate that oath but to continue to abide by it; not to end our commitment to service, but to extend it,” the statement reads. “This failed policy has not achieved its stated objectives — it has not made Israelis any safer, it has emboldened extremists while it has been devastating for the Palestinian people, ensuring a vicious cycle of poverty and hopelessness, with all the implications of that cycle, for generations to come. As a group of dedicated Americans in service of our country, we insist that there is another way.”
Spokespeople for the White House National Security Council did not respond to a request for comment.
Harrison Mann, a former Army major who quit over the Gaza policy, emphasized the need for external pressure to drive change. Mann, a Jewish 13-year U.S. Army veteran, described multiple moments when he believed the U.S. government’s failure to investigate civilian casualties caused by Israeli actions might prompt a policy shift. However, he ultimately concluded that only outside pressure could effect change.
Tariq Habash, a Palestinian American appointed by Biden to the Department of Education, resigned in January. He expressed his disillusionment with the Democratic Party, which he had believed recognized humanity and racial equity, but felt compelled to leave as Biden’s policies enabled Palestinian suffering abroad and attacks against Palestinians within the U.S.
The former officials described the alarming implications of Biden’s Gaza policy and the administration’s refusal to alter it, which they believe has disrupted the normal process of important deliberations over U.S. policy. Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official who resigned in March, highlighted fears that Israel might count on U.S. support to launch a war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, potentially entangling the U.S. and Iran in a wider conflict.
Hala Rharrit, a professional diplomat who quit the State Department in April, noted the unprecedented level of silencing and self-censorship among government officials regarding this policy. The statement argues that the U.S. political and economic interests across the region have been significantly harmed, and U.S. credibility has been deeply undermined worldwide.
The resignees call for the Biden administration to refocus on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They recommend applying U.S. laws that bar military aid for foreign forces responsible for human rights abuses, showing more support for Palestinian self-determination, and opposing Israeli settlements in key regions for a future Palestinian state. They also seek greater safeguards to prevent future U.S. presidents from allowing damaging impunity for foreign partners and making the U.S. complicit in possible war crimes.
“There is an urgent need for change in the organizational cultures and structures that have enabled the current U.S. approach,” the statement reads. “This includes the strengthening of oversight and accountability mechanisms within the Executive Branch, greater transparency regarding arms transfers and legal deliberations, an end to the silencing and sidelining of critical voices, and statutory change via the legislative process.”
Released on July 4, the statement is nonpartisan but presents a critical view of Biden’s presidency and calls for radical change. “Both our individual and common experiences demonstrate an Administration that has prioritized politics over just and fair policymaking; profit over national security; falsehoods over facts; directives over debate; ideology over experience, and special interest over the equal enforcement of the law,” the resignees wrote. “May we all have the moral courage to speak and push for a better world, for a better America.”
Source: HuffPost
