President Biden's own Cabinet members are turning against him over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war and his refusal to call for a ceasefire to end the Middle East conflict.
A top education official under Biden resigned on Wednesday over the administration's “failure” to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza from Israeli forces in the ongoing deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas, which erupted after Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7 .
Tariq Habash, a policy adviser in the ministry's planning office, announced his resignation in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, NBC reported.
Habash, a Palestinian American, is a political appointee and student loan and student finance specialist at the Department of Education.
“I cannot remain silent while this government turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against the lives of innocent Palestinians, which leading human rights experts describe as the Israeli government’s genocidal campaign,” Habash wrote in his resignation letter.
President Biden's own Cabinet members are turning against him over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war and his refusal to call for a ceasefire to end the Middle East conflict
A top Biden education official resigned Wednesday over the administration's “failure” to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza from Israeli forces
President Biden took another hit from inside his Cabinet after a group of 17 current Biden campaign staffers released a letter criticizing Biden for his “tough love” approach to the Israel-Hamas war.
President Biden took another hit from inside his Cabinet after a group of 17 current Biden campaign staffers released a letter criticizing Biden for his “tough love” approach to the Israel-Hamas war.
The 17 aides called on President Biden to call for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“As your staff, we believe it is both a moral and an electoral duty for you to publicly call for an end to violence,” Biden campaign officials wrote.
“Complicity in the deaths of over 20,000 Palestinians, including 8,200 children, is simply unjustifiable.”
The letter was signed anonymously and published on Medium, where it lays out five demands for the president.
Biden's own aides not only called for a ceasefire, but also condemned the president for the continued “unconditional” military aid being sent to Israel from US funds.
The anonymous campaign participants called for de-escalation in the region where the conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken place – which mainly extends around the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as on the Israel-Lebanese border.
They also demanded that Biden and his administration “take concrete steps to end the conditions of apartheid, occupation and ethnic cleansing that are the root causes of this conflict.”
A campaign official declined to comment on the letter but said: “As for President Biden's position, he has been unequivocal: Israel has the right and duty to defend its people after the October 7 terrorist attack.”
The employees involved were granted anonymity to protect them from backlash — but five of them confirmed the letter's legitimacy to West Wing Playbook.
One aide said “tough love” motivated her to confront Biden.
“That motivated us to do this,” said a second employee. “There is some disconnect in the kind of man he is and we believe his call for a ceasefire will set things straight and show the world what kind of man he is.”
The anonymous letter called on Biden and his administration to “take concrete steps to end the conditions of apartheid, occupation and ethnic cleansing that are the root causes of this conflict.”
“I cannot remain silent while this government turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against the lives of innocent Palestinians, which leading human rights experts describe as the Israeli government’s genocidal campaign,” wrote Tariq Habash, political adviser, in his resignation letter
A campaign official declined to comment on the letter but said: “As for President Biden's position, he has been unequivocal: Israel has the right and duty to defend its people after the October 7 terrorist attack.”
While many are calling for a ceasefire, the conflict in the Middle East shows no signs of de-escalation.
Israel's killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri on Tuesday in a drone strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut has raised fears that the war in Gaza could spread beyond the Palestinian enclave and encompass the Middle East.
Arouri, 57, was the first senior Hamas political leader to be assassinated since Israel launched a brutal air and ground offensive against the group nearly three months ago following ruthless attacks on Israeli cities on October 7.
Lebanon's heavily armed Hezbollah group, a powerful Hamas ally, had previously vowed to strike back against any Israeli attack on Palestinian officials in Lebanon, saying of the attack: “This crime will never pass without response and punishment.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also condemned the killing and said Israel wanted to “drag Lebanon further into war.”
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have engaged in almost daily firefights across the Israeli-Lebanese border since the start of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, but so far the Lebanese group appears unwilling to dramatically escalate the fighting.
A serious response could lead to the conflict escalating into open war on Israel's northern border.