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Published November 13, 2023, 5:20 PM ET
One hundred State Department and Agency for International Development employees signed a scathing internal dissent memorandum criticizing President Biden’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, accusing him of “spreading misinformation” and unwillingness to de-escalate the conflict .
The five-page memo, written Nov. 3 by a young diplomat, blames Biden for not denouncing Israel during his Oct. 10 speech in which the president said the U.S. was on the side of the Jews, not Israel State denounced for “war crimes” in Gaza, Axios reports.
“[Biden] redoubled our unwavering military support for the [Israeli government] without clear or actionable redlines,” the memo said.
The aides continued to accuse Biden of spreading misinformation about the war, but did not cite any specific instances in which the president allegedly lied about the conflict.
The memo also accuses Israel of committing “war crimes” after initially cutting off electricity and humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which the Jewish state defended as a way to prevent supplies from reaching Hamas.
One hundred State Department and International Development Agency employees criticized Joe Biden’s stance on the war between Israel and Hamas. POOL/AFP via Getty Images The aides claimed Biden made the country complicit in war crimes in Gaza when Israel carried out airstrikes. AFP via Getty Images
Since the State Department employs more than 77,000 people and USAID has more than 10,000 employees, the dissenters make up just 0.11% of their workforce.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken – who has been feverishly trying to bring about a de-escalation of the Middle East crisis – acknowledged the internal disagreement in a memo to staff on Monday.
“I know that the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a heavy personal toll on many of you,” the country’s top statesman said, according to CNN. “The pain that comes with seeing daily images of babies, children, the elderly, women and other civilians suffering during this crisis is harrowing. I feel it myself.
“Some people in the department may disagree with the approaches we are taking or have views 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 heart of post-crisis governance in Gaza. We believe in a Palestinian-led government of Gaza, uniting Gaza with the West Bank. The reconstruction of Gaza must be supported with a sustainable mechanism.”
The White House’s “overarching goal remains the same: to end this terrible conflict as quickly as possible while upholding Israel’s right and duty to ensure, in full compliance with international humanitarian law, that a terrorist attack like October 7 never happens again.” .” “said the Foreign Minister.
Wounded Palestinians sought refuge at 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 employees because the memo was submitted through the department’s dissident channel, which allows employees to express their dissatisfaction with government policies to express.
“The secretary wants to hear from these employees. He wants to hear what their opinion is,” Miller said.
This is not the first time that a dissenting memo on the war between Israel and Hamas has been submitted to the State Department.
Last week, it was revealed that another memo was submitted to the department urging Blinken to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Politico reports.
As Miller alluded to, residents across the U.S. are also divided over the war, and since the new conflict began, there have been numerous rallies across the country where people showed their support for either Israel or the Palestinians.
The Israeli military vowed to destroy Hamas as it carried out a ground assault in Gaza.EyePress News/Shutterstock
Last week, a pro-Palestinian group marched in Washington DC, insulting the president and demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, while Israel invaded the site to root out Hamas.
More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel following the Hamas massacre on October 7, and more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since the IDF’s retaliatory strike began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The death toll is unprecedented in the history of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
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