US President Joe Biden’s support for Israel during its nearly nine-month war in Gaza has led to the resignation of at least nine US administration officials. These officials criticize Biden for allegedly overlooking Israeli actions in the Palestinian territory. Despite the resignations, the Biden administration maintains that it has condemned civilian casualties in Gaza and worked to increase humanitarian aid. Health officials report nearly 38,000 deaths from Israel’s assault.
The Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, causing around 1,200 deaths and taking 250 hostages. The following officials have resigned in protest of US policy on Gaza.
- Maryam Hassanein: She resigned on Tuesday, a special assistant at the Department of Interior resigned, criticizing Biden’s foreign policy as supportive of genocide and accusing it of dehumanizing Arabs and Muslims.
- Stacy Gilber: In late May, from the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Stacy Gilber resigned. She stated that her reason for resigning was a misleading administration report to Congress, which claimed that Israel was not obstructing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
- Alexander Smith: He was a contractor working for United States Agency For International Development (USAID) resigned, claiming censorship in late May. He said his presentation on maternal and child mortality among Palestinians was canceled without proper review by the agency.
- Lily Greenberg Call: In May, the first Jewish political appointee, Lily Greenberg Call resigned from her role as a special assistant to the chief of staff in the Interior Department. She stated in The Guardian that, as a Jew, she could not endorse the Gaza conflict.
- Hala Rharrit: She is an Arabic language spokesperson for the State Department and resigned in April, citing opposition to US Gaza policy on her LinkedIn page.
- Annelle Sheline: In late March, she left the State Department’s human rights bureau, stating in a CNN article that she could not work for a government that allows such atrocities.
- Tariq Habash: He is a Palestinian American special assistant in the Education Department’s office, and planned to resign in January. He criticized the Biden administration for ignoring the atrocities in Gaza.
- Harrison Mann: A US Army major and Defense Intelligence Agency official who resigned over the Gaza policy in November. He publicly stated his reasons in May.
- Josh Paul: The director of the State Department’s bureau of political military affairs publicly resigned in October, criticizing what he called Washington’s unwavering support for Israel.
These resignations reflect significant dissent within the administration regarding its handling of the Gaza conflict.