An official from the State Department announced his resignation on Tuesday due to President Biden’s response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Josh Paul, who spent over 11 years working for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, made the announcement in a two-page post to his LinkedIn account, saying that “Hamas’ attack on Israel was not just a monstrosity; it was a monstrosity of monstrosities.”
“But I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response, and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and Palestinian people — and is not in the long term American interest,” he stated.
Paul added that the response from the U.S. government has been “immensely disappointing, and entirely unsurprising.”
“This Administration’s response — and much of Congress’ as well — is an impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia.”
In an interview with The Huffington Post on Wednesday evening, Paul said that “watching things unfold over the last 10 days” led him to this decision.
“It was clear that there’s no arguing with this one. Given that I couldn’t shift anything, I resigned,” he told HuffPost.
Paul added that he was struck by the positive reaction and support he received from his colleagues.
“I’ve been surprised by how many have said, ‘We absolutely understand where you’re coming from, we feel similarly and understand,'” Paul said, per HuffPost.
Paul ended his resignation letter by thanking his colleagues and wishing them “continued success, strength, and courage.”
Matt Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, said on Thursday that he appreciates departmental employees have different beliefs but added that “the President and the Secretary [have] spoken to this very clearly that we expect Israel to abide by all international law as they defend themselves,” as reported by CNN.
“With respect to this specific criticism that has been aired, we have made very clear that we strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself. We are going to continue providing the security assistance that they need to defend themselves. We think they have a right, not a right but an obligation, to defend themselves against these terrorist attacks — I think any country would do that.”
This support from the United States includes having 2,000 U.S. troops “prepared to deploy” in case Israel needs support in the conflict, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
At present, the deployment of these troops is subject to Israel’s requirement for assistance, predominantly in advisory and medical capacities. The Department of Defense has clarified that no definitive decision has been made regarding deploying any forces.
On a state level, Texas has also expressed support for Israel by purchasing $20 million worth of Israeli bonds.
The Texas Comptroller said these bonds are meant to provide Israeli with “financial liquidity needed to respond to the atrocities we’ve all witnessed,” as reported by The Dallas Express.
