One hundred State Department and Agency for International Development employees signed a scathing internal dissent memorandum criticizing President Biden’s stance on the war between Israel and Hamas, accusing him of “spreading misinformation” and being unwilling to de-escalate. of the conflict.
The five-page memo, organized by a junior diplomat on Nov. 3, faults Biden for failing to denounce Israel for “war crimes” in Gaza during his Oct. 10 speech, where the president said the United States supports the Jews. State, Axios reports.
“[Biden] redoubled our unwavering military assistance to the [Israeli government] “no clear or actionable red lines,” the memo reads.
The staffers continued to accuse Biden of spreading misinformation about the war, but did not cite any specific cases in which the president allegedly lied about the conflict.
The memo also accuses Israel of committing “war crimes” after it initially cut off energy and humanitarian aid to Gaza, which the Jewish state defended as a means to prevent supplies from reaching Hamas.
One hundred State Department and Agency for International Development employees criticized Joe Biden’s stance on the war between Israel and Hamas.POOL/AFP via Getty Images The employees claimed Biden made the nation complicit in war crimes in Gaza while Israel carried out airstrikes. AFP via Getty Images
Given that the State Department employs more than 77,000 people and USAID employs more than 10,000 employees, dissidents represent only 0.11% of their workforce.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been feverishly trying to help negotiate a de-escalation of the crisis in the Middle East, acknowledged the internal dissent in a memo to his staff on Monday.
“I know that for many of you, the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a profound personal toll,” the country’s chief statesman said, according to CNN. “The anguish that comes with seeing the daily images of babies, children, seniors, women and other civilians suffering in this crisis is heartbreaking. I feel it myself.
“Some people in the Department may disagree with the approaches we are taking or have opinions about what we can do better,” Blinken wrote.
“As I have said privately and publicly, we believe that the voices of the Palestinian people must be at the center of post-crisis governance in Gaza. We believe in Palestinian-led governance of Gaza, with Gaza unified with the West Bank. “The reconstruction of Gaza must be supported with a sustained mechanism.”
The White House’s “overarching goal remains the same: to end this terrible conflict as quickly as possible, while respecting Israel’s right and obligation, in full compliance with international humanitarian law, to ensure that an attack terrorist attack like that of October 7 will never happen again. “said the Secretary of State.
The injured Palestinians took refuge in the Nasser hospital on Monday. AFP via Getty Images
State Department representative Matthew Miller separately added that officials were open to hearing the opinions of all their employees, as the memo was submitted through the department’s dissent channel, which allows workers to express their discontent. with government policy.
“The Secretary wants to listen to those employees. He wants to hear what his opinions are,” Miller said.
This is not the first time a dissenting memo has been submitted to the State Department regarding the war between Israel and Hamas.
Last week, it was revealed that another memo was submitted to the department asking Blinken to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Politico reports.
As Miller alluded to, residents across the United States are also divided over the war, and since the new conflict began there have been many demonstrations across the country, with people showing their support for Israel or the Palestinians.
The Israeli military vowed to eradicate Hamas as it conducts a ground incursion into Gaza.EyePress News/Shutterstock
Last week, a pro-Palestinian group marched in Washington, DC, cursing the president and demanding a ceasefire in Gaza amid Israel’s ground incursion to root out Hamas.
More than 1,400 people died in Israel following the October 7 massacre by Hamas, and since the IDF began its retaliatory attack, more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The death toll is unprecedented in the history of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
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