In a letter sent to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Wednesday, Tariq Habash, special assistant to the ministry's Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, expressed his frustration in this regard, a fact that led him to make this decision.
“I cannot remain silent while this government turns a blind eye to the atrocities being committed against the lives of innocent Palestinians, which leading human rights experts are calling the Israeli government’s genocidal campaign,” he wrote.
His resignation is the latest sign of disquiet within the Biden administration's ranks over the president's handling of a war that broke out on Oct. 7 when fighters from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory.
More than 400 officials wrote an open letter to Biden urging him to insist on a ceasefire. According to Palestinian health authorities, the Israeli counterattack in Gaza has claimed more than 22,000 lives, including more than 8,200 children.
Critics argue that the White House is not using its influence as Israel's top military benefactor to stop the carnage, but is simply calling for “more restraint” in its attacks while continuing to send military aid to its staunch Middle East ally.
The two-page letter from Palestinian-American Habash suggests that everything Biden has done to contain Israel has failed to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
“I cannot be tacitly complicit when the government fails to use its influence as Israel’s strongest ally to stop the abusive and collective punishment tactics that are denying Palestinians in Gaza access to food, water, electricity, fuel and medical care Denied care, which has led to “disease and hunger being widespread,” he said.
The former official criticized Biden's insensitivity in responding to the death toll in Gaza.
At a news conference in October, the president dismissed reports of fatalities from that coastal enclave and said he had no guarantee that “Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are dying.”
“I am sure innocent people died and that is the price of war,” Biden added.
Habash's journey from enthusiastic campaign supporter to disillusioned official exemplifies the problem facing the occupant of the Oval Office.
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