A Biden administration official resigned from the State Department, citing President Biden’s announcement of material support for Israel. The official said he “can’t work” while the US helps Israel in its war against the Hamas terrorist group.
Josh Paul, who worked for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, where he was responsible for arms transfers to key American allies, posted his resignation letter on social media. In it, he said “continued lethal aid to Israel” prompted his decision to leave.
“Today I informed my colleagues that I am resigning from the State Department, due to a policy disagreement regarding our continued lethal aid to Israel,” Paul wrote on LinkedIn.
He added: “I cannot work in support of a range of major policy decisions, including the rush of more weapons to one side of the conflict, which I believe are short-sighted, destructive, unjust, and at odds with the very value that we promote to the public.”
BIDEN PLACES CONDITIONS ON HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA AS ISRAEL ALLOWS EGYPT TO PROVIDE SUPPLIES
Inset, former State Department official Josh Paul. Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, on Oct. 19, 2023. (Saeed Qaq/Anadolu via Getty Images | LinkedIn)
In a lengthy statement, Paul condemned Hamas’ brutal attacks on Israeli civilians but said Israel’s “response” went too far in wanting to eliminate Hamas.
“Let me be clear: Hamas’s attack on Israel is not just a monstrosity; it is a monstrosity,” he wrote. “I also believe that the potential escalation of Iran-linked groups like Hezbollah, or of Iran itself, would be a further cynical exploitation of the existing tragedy. But I believe in the depths of my soul that the response that Israel accepts, and includes American support for that response and for the occupation status quo, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both Israelis and Palestinians – and is not in America’s long-term interest. “
UK PRIME MINISTER BLASTS US OFFICIALS ABOUT HAMAS: ‘CALL IT WHAT IT IS… EVIL TERRORISTS’
A vehicle near the Gaza border was burned and destroyed as clashes continued between the Israeli army and Palestinian factions in Nir Oz, Israel on Oct. 19, 2023. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
His decision came as Biden announced that the United States would supply arms and ammunition to Israel, its closest ally in the Middle East. Biden also said the US has no doubts about Israel and its right to defend itself following the ruthless Hamas attack on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israelis. This is the worst terror attack in the country’s history.
“When I came to the Bureau, the entity of the US Government most responsible for the transfer and supply of weapons to partners and allies, I knew that it was not without moral complexity and moral compromise, and I promised myself that I would stay for as long as I felt the harm I could do outweighed the good I could do,” Paul wrote. “In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can remember, each one heavy, but each one I have in mind my promise to myself, and whole. I am leaving now because I believe that in our current course with regard to the continued — indeed, expanded and accelerated — provision of lethal weapons to Israel — I have reached the end of that bargain.”
Interior view of a burned house near the Gaza border as clashes continue between the Israeli army and Palestinian factions in Nir Oz, Israel, on Oct. 19, 2023. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A destroyed house near the Gaza border in Nir Oz, Israel on Oct. 19, 2023. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
He added: “We cannot be both against occupation and for it. We cannot be both for freedom and against it. And we cannot be for a better world while contributing to a materially worse one. “
NORTH KOREAN HAMAS TERRORISTS PROBABLY USED DURING BRUTAL ATTACKS ON ISRAEL, EVIDENCE SHOWS
“The response of this Administration — and much of Congress as well — is a knee-jerk reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia,” Paul continued in the statement. . “I mean, it’s a huge disappointment, and totally unsurprising. Decades of the same approach have shown that security for peace does not lead to security or peace.”
President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated in a meeting with Israeli and US government officials, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Later in the speech, Paul said that the US, as a “third party,” should not take sides in the conflict and suggested that Israel had committed “gross human rights violations.”
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Biden’s stance on the conflict includes fully supporting Israel while ensuring aid is provided to civilians caught in the conflict. On Wednesday, he announced $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The president said aid would be cut off if it fell into Hamas’ hands.
According to his LinkedIn, Paul has worked at the State Department since April 2012.
