Tuesday, November 14, 2023

More Than 400 U.S. Officials Sign Letter Protesting Biden’s Israel Policy

Maria Abi-Habib, Michael Crowley and Edward Wong
The New York Times
Tue, November 14, 2023 

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
 during a visit to Israel, Oct. 18, 2023.
 (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

More than 400 political appointees and staff members representing some 40 government agencies sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Tuesday protesting his support of Israel in its war in the Gaza Strip.

The letter, part of growing internal dissent over the administration’s support of the war, calls on the president to seek an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and to push Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the territory. It is the latest of several protest letters from officials throughout the Biden administration, including three internal memos to Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed by dozens of State Department employees as well as an open letter signed by more than 1,000 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The signatories of the letter submitted Tuesday and the one circulating among employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development are anonymous, the USAID letter explains, out of “concern for our personal safety and risk of potentially losing our jobs.” The signatories of the State Department dissent cables must disclose their names, but those cables have not been released publicly.

Although the Biden administration has recently started voicing concern over the high numbers of Palestinian civilians killed while urging Israel to show restraint, that budding criticism does not appear to be placating many in the U.S. government.

The letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The New York Times, began by denouncing the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, then urged Biden to stop the bloodshed caused by Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza.

“We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the letter states.

Two political appointees who helped organize the letter to Biden said the majority of the signatories are political appointees of various faiths who work throughout government, from the National Security Council to the FBI and the Justice Department.

Some of the signatories helped Biden get elected in 2020 and said in interviews they were concerned that the administration’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza clashed with Democratic voters’ stance on the issue.

“The overwhelming majority of Americans support a cease-fire,” the letter states, linking to a poll from October that shows that 66% of Americans, including 80% of Democrats, believe the United States should put pressure on Israel for a cease-fire.

“Furthermore, Americans do not want the U.S. military to be drawn into another costly and senseless war in the Middle East.”

Israel launched a ground invasion last month in Gaza in response to bloody attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,200 people, according to the Israeli government. So far, more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Biden and Blinken, like Israel’s leadership, say they oppose a cease-fire — a long-term halt in fighting, typically accompanied by political negotiations — on the grounds that it would spare Hamas and allow it to reconstitute for future attacks. They have instead called for “pauses,” short interruptions in the fighting lasting perhaps a few hours, to allow for clearly defined humanitarian missions such as aid delivery into Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. U.S. officials say they have done more than any other nation to ensure that at least some aid enters Gaza.

The two people who helped organize the letter to Biden said they had agreed to serve the administration because the president stressed that he wanted a government that was more representative of American voters. But, they said, their concerns and those of other political appointees have largely been dismissed.

Some U.S. officials said privately that while senior officials welcome disagreement, government workers must understand and accept that they will not always agree with U.S. policy. The dissent over Gaza reflects a generational divide and comes mostly from employees in their 20s and 30s, the officials said — though many older people have also signed dissenting documents, according to people who have collected signatures.

The letters of protest come after a contentious meeting on Oct. 23 at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where 70 Muslim and Arab political appointees gathered with senior Biden administration officials, including Jeffrey Zients, the chief of staff, and Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The meeting started with a general question: How many of the appointees have faced pressure from family or friends to resign over the Biden administration’s support of Israel in the conflict? Dozens of hands shot up, according to one attendee and another who was briefed about the meeting.

Senior administration officials opened the floor to take questions and comments. Some attendees cried as they demanded that the administration call for a cease-fire, curb weapons shipments to the Israeli military and stop disregarding Palestinian civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.

The State Department memos to Blinken were cables sent internally, through what is known as the dissent channel. The channel was created during the Vietnam War to encourage department employees to share disagreements with official policy. Under State Department rules, dissenters are protected from retaliation.

On Monday, Blinken responded to the internal dissent in a message emailed to department employees. “I know that for many of you, the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a profound personal toll,” he wrote, adding that he was aware that “some people in the department may disagree with approaches we are taking or have views on what we can do better.”

He added: “We’re listening: What you share is informing our policy and our messages.”

c.2023 The New York Times Company

Hundreds of Biden Appointees Send Him Letter Demanding Gaza Cease-Fire

Nikki McCann Ramirez
Rolling Stone
Tue, November 14, 2023


Hundreds of political appointees and government staffers representing over 40 U.S. agencies signed a letter to the Biden administration calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

According to The New York Times, which reviewed a copy of the letter, more than 400 individuals anonymously signed on to Tuesday’s missive demanding the president’s administration call more forcefully for de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory siege against Gaza following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, which killed 1,400 Israelis, has now killed more than 11,000 Palestinians.

The disproportionate death toll, forced migrations, and ongoing Israeli blockade against humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip have fueled accusations of ethnic cleansing by Israel in the Palestinian territory they’ve controlled for decades. It has all come with the backing of the U.S. government.

The letter cites popular American support for a cease-fire, and calls on Biden to “urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.”

Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have both rejected calls for a cease-fire, instead touting their support for periodic humanitarian pauses in the shelling of Gaza. On Monday, Blinken responded to three State Department “dissent” cables raising objections to the administration’s virtually unwavering support for Israel by telling department staff that he and his office were “listening.”

It’s done little to appease critics. Blinken’s testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee in late October was repeatedly interrupted by protesters raising hands stained with red paint to signify the blood of Palestinians. On Monday, Palestinian residents of Gaza, their families, and human rights organizations sued Biden, Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on grounds that they have failed in “their duty to prevent, and not further, the unfolding genocide of Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, accuses American government officials of a “breach of U.S. responsibilities under customary international law, as codified in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (‘Genocide Convention), Dec. 9, 1948.” The suit seeks an order requiring the Biden administration to take all measures within its power to exert its influence over Israel in seeking an end to the bombing of Gaza, the prevention of forced expulsion of Gaza’s residents, and an injunction against continued military aid to Israel.

“For the past 38 days, the world has watched senior Israeli officials use dehumanizing language in connection with their expressed intent to destroy and displace Palestinians in Gaza while imposing an unrelenting siege, and intentionally depriving Palestinians the conditions of life necessary for human survival,” the lawsuit reads. “The United States has been obligated, from the time it learned of the specter of a genocide of the Palestinian people, to exercise its clear and considerable influence on Israel to prevent this grave crime from unfolding.”

Calls for a cease-fire are also brewing on Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, more than 100 congressional staffers staged a walkout protest urging their employers to endorse a cease-fire. In recent polling by Data for Progress, 66 percent of Americans support a cease-fire, compared to only 4 percent of House representatives in Congress.

One of the most prominent voices in government speaking in support of a cease-fire is Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian-American currently serving in Congress. Tlaib was censured by House Republicans earlier this month in a bad-faith rebuke of her support for Palestinian welfare. In a statement responding to her censure, Tlaib made clear that she would not stop speaking out on the matter. “A majority of Americans support a ceasefire,” she wrote, “but this Congress isn’t listening to their voices.”


Biden officials rebel against president on Israel-Hamas war, sign dissent letter

Anders Hagstrom
Fox News
Tue, November 14, 2023 


Four hundred government officials from 40 departments and agencies within President Biden's administration signed a letter opposing the president's handling of the Israel-Hamas war and demanded a cease-fire.

The Tuesday letter, first reported by the New York Times, includes officials from the State Department, White House, National Security Council and the Justice Department. The signatories of the letter remained anonymous to protect against professional retaliation.

"We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," the letter reads, in part.

Biden and other Western leaders have pushed back on calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, arguing it would only serve to benefit Hamas terrorists. Biden's administration has instead pushed for humanitarian pauses in the fighting, which Israel has agreed to.

HAMAS TELLS NY TIMES IT HOPES WAR WITH ISRAEL IS ‘PERMANENT,’ PAPER SAYS HAMAS NOT INTERESTED IN GOVERNING


Four hundred government officials from 40 departments and agencies within President Biden's administration signed a letter opposing the president's handling of the Israel-Hamas war and demanding a cease-fire.

The White House has yet to respond to the letter.

So far, French President Emmanuel Macron is the only major Western leader to call on Israel to implement a cease-fire. He later clarified his remarks on Monday, however, saying he still believed Israel has a right to defend itself.

The disagreement within Biden's administration mirrors friction within the Democratic Party regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Several radical progressives within Biden's party have decried Israel as an "apartheid state" and argue the war in Gaza is a "genocide" against Palestinians.

The disagreement within the Biden administration mirrors friction within the Democratic Party regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Several radical progressives within Biden's party have decried Israel as an "apartheid state" and argue the war in Gaza is a "genocide" against Palestinians.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., faced a public rebuke from the House of Representatives for her comments on Israel last week.

Israel's war against Hamas is coming to a head this week as Israeli forces surround Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the Gaza Strip. Israel says Hamas has entrenched its headquarters beneath the hospital.

Biden administration staff sign open letter demanding cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war

Allie Raffa and Summer Concepcion
NBC
Tue, November 14, 2023 

Andrew Harnik

More than 400 employees of President Joe Biden's administration have signed an open letter demanding he pursue a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war that has killed thousands of civilians thus far.

“We represent a coalition of Biden-Harris Administration political appointees and civil servants, positioned across the domestic and foreign policy spheres, working in federal agencies, departments, independent agencies, and the White House,” the letter, released Tuesday, begins.

“We call on President Biden to urgently demand a ceasefire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip,” it continued.

The letter says the signatories represent various backgrounds and faiths and work in more than 30 departments and agencies.

Two administration staff members who led outreach efforts for the letter told NBC News that since the letter was first circulated about two weeks ago, it has gained the signatures of senior and low-level administration employees working across the federal government and in multiple countries. They include staff in the departments of Commerce, Defense, Interior, Homeland Security and the Executive Office of the President, among other agencies.

The two staff members, who are political appointees, asked to remain anonymous out of concern about retaliation for speaking out against the administration’s position. They said those who signed the letter also remained anonymous out of concern for their job security and personal safety.

The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.

The letter is the latest addition to growing calls on the Biden administration to demand a cease-fire and reassess its handling of Israel’s war with Hamas.

Since the war began after Hamas' brutal attack on Israel on Oct. 7, several efforts have launched from within the government to push for the de-escalation of the conflict, including letters from hundreds of Biden's former 2020 campaign staff and Muslim and Jewish congressional employees. The congressional staff urged Congress to support a cease-fire in light of “antisemitism, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian sentiment on the rise nationwide.”

“It’s unfortunate that we’re at this point," one of the Biden administration staff members told NBC News. "Having hundreds and thousands of people come together within this administration and within Congress and say we are calling for a cease-fire, something that’s so basic to just end human suffering.”

The two are among what they said are many signatories with family and friends in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.

“Our loved ones are in imminent danger and every single day, waking up and not knowing what’s going to happen is absolute hell,” one staffer told NBC News. The dissonance "of going to work every day and feeling like you are a part of something that is actively harming people you love was expressed by so many people involved in this.”

The staffers told NBC that based on what they’ve experienced personally and heard from colleagues in the White House and across several government agencies, they believe there is a lack of direction of how staffers are supposed to talk about Israel’s war with Hamas.

“Some agencies have had specific meetings about this … and in some places it has been completely taboo to even talk about this,” one said. “I’ve heard it expressed among staffers of all levels that they feel a lack of guidance for how to talk about this, how to manage people suffering because of this."

"A lot of people feel quite alone and frustrated,” the staffer added.

Both described a disconnect between what is coming out of the senior levels of the administration and what they and their colleagues are feeling.

“A lot of us are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president, a lot of us came from his campaign,” one staffer said. “So there’s this uneasy feeling of not agreeing with what we’re working on.”

More than 50 employees of the Democratic National Committee, which handles much of Biden’s campaign fundraising efforts, anonymously signed an open letter this month urging their leadership to demand that Biden seek a cease-fire as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on.

Amid internal and external criticism over Biden’s response to the war, the administration has ramped up outreach to Arab, Palestinian and Muslim Americans in hopes of explaining its approach to the conflict, as some aides worried Biden hadn’t shown enough empathy for Palestinian civilians and a Muslim community facing anger at home.

“Efforts to rebuild communities before calling for a ceasefire are going to fall on deaf ears because until that’s being called, nothing will be seen as genuine. There’s no way to escape this conversation,” one of the administration staff members who led their letter’s outreach efforts told NBC. “Every day, you’re going in to work for this administration, then you’re going to look at your phone, you’re going to see the suffering that you kind of feel like you’re causing … a lot of people are no longer comfortable being silent, no longer comfortable being complacent in a way.”

The Biden administration staffer told NBC News that they and some administration colleagues they’ve spoken with have considered resigning because of the administration’s handling of the war up to this point. A veteran State Department official, Josh Paul, resigned last month, citing what he called the U.S.’ “blind support” for Israel in its war with Hamas and its continued “provision of lethal arms to Israel.”

“These are people who really want to serve the public, including people who want to serve the president,” the staffer said. “But it’s going to push people to a breaking point if this continues.”

“There’s been a lot of damage done within the public service community, and I’m not sure how we are going to repair that,” the second staffer said. “The U.S. government has an immense amount of power to change the status quo on the ground and the refusal to acknowledge that feels like a betrayal.”

Both told NBC News they would be watching to see whether Biden acknowledges the March for Israel, a pro-Israel rally expected to draw tens of thousands of people to Washington on Tuesday.

On Nov. 4, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched from Washington’s Freedom Plaza to the White House calling for a cease-fire and an end to the siege on Gaza. Biden was at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home the weekend of the march.

“There is growing dissent across his administration, from people close to him,” one of the administration staffers said. “This is his own alum from the campaign, from within his own administration. … A complete disregard for that would send a really clear and unwelcoming message.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

100 State Department employees sign internal memo accusing Biden of spreading Gaza "misinformation"

Gabriella Ferrigine
SALON
Mon, November 13, 2023


Joe Biden Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images


Axios obtained a copy of an internal five-page State Department memo accusing President Joe Biden's administration of "spreading misinformation" pertaining to the Israel-Hamas war. Organized by a junior diplomat, the memo accuses Israel of committing "war crimes" in Gaza and encourages senior U.S. officials to advocate for a ceasefire. The outlet reported that 100 State Department and USAID employees signed off on the memo, which did not offer a specific example for the alleged "misinformation" contained within Biden's speech on Oct 10, three days after the "atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th."

"We strongly recommend that the (U.S. government) advocate for the release of hostages by both Hamas and (Israel)," the memo stated, also claiming that "thousands" of Palestinians are being held in Israel. Axios reported that the memo largely hones in on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's counterattack on Hamas in Gaza, which the memo alleges included cutting off all electricity, curbing aid, and carrying out airstrike sieges. "All constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law," the memo states. "Yet we have failed to reassess our posture towards Israel. We doubled down on our unwavering military assistance to the (Israeli government) without clear or actionable redlines."

"Members of the White House and (the National Security Council) displayed a clear disregard for the lives of Palestinians, a documented unwillingness to de-escalate, and, even prior to October 7, a reckless lack of strategic foresight," the memo continued. A State Department spokesperson spoke openly about the department's "dissent channel," which has remained in operation since the Vietnam War. The spokesperson said the department is "proud there is an established procedure for employees to articulate policy disagreements directly to the attention of senior department leaders without fear of retribution. We understand — we expect, we appreciate — that different people working in this department have different beliefs about what United States policy should be." Though dissent memos are meant to remain confined to the building, Axios noted that they are leaked to the media on occasion.

State Department: Biden Spreading Misinformation Amid Israel’s War on Gaza

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling
NEW REPUBLIC
Mon, November 13, 2023


An internal memo floating around the U.S. State Department is urging senior officials to rethink their approach to the Israel-Hamas war, criticizing America’s unwavering support of Israel’s counteroffensive as backing “crimes against humanity.”

The five-page memo, signed by 100 State Department and USAID employees, also accuses President Joe Biden of “spreading misinformation” in his October 10 speech, in which Biden described Hamas’s October 7 massacre as an “act of sheer evil” and likened it to the “worst rampages of ISIS” while unequivocally aligning U.S. military capabilities with Israel.

“Members of the White House and (the National Security Council) displayed a clear disregard for the lives of Palestinians, a documented unwillingness to de-escalate, and, even prior to October 7, a reckless lack of strategic foresight,” the memo said, reported Axios.

The bulk of the memo focuses on condemning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assault on Gaza, which has constituted attacking hospitals, cutting off access to water and electricity, limiting humanitarian aid, and displacing 1.6 million Palestinians.

All of these actions, according to the memo, “constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law.”

“Yet we have failed to reassess our posture towards Israel,” the memo reads, according to the outlet. “We doubled down on our unwavering military assistance to the (Israeli government) without clear or actionable redlines.”

It’s not the first such memo to be leaked out of the State Department. Last week, another memo blasted the U.S. response to Israel as inappropriate, arguing that supporting the Middle Eastern state’s “settler violence” went “against American values,” reported Politico.

Facing State Dept dissent over Gaza, Blinken tells staff: We're listening


Mon, November 13, 2023 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits India

By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday moved to address rising criticism within the State Department ranks over the Biden administration's policy on the Israel-Hamas war, as hundreds of U.S. government employees openly and privately have advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza.

At least three cables criticizing the administration's policy have been filed with the Department's internal "dissent channel", which was established during the Vietnam War and allows diplomats to raise concerns about policy anonymously with the Secretary of State, sources familiar with the matter said.

The criticism focuses on President Joe Biden's unwavering support for Israel in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, the deadliest assault in the country's history.

In response, Israel has launched a relentless military campaign on Gaza, killing more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, unleashing the bloodiest chapter in years in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Washington has rebuffed calls from Arab and Palestinian leaders and others to call on Israel to halt its assault on the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip, but it has urged for humanitarian pauses to allow more aid in and to evacuate Americans and foreigners.

In an emailed letter to the State Department employees, Blinken, having just returned from a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Asia, acknowledged the emotional toll the conflict has taken on the workforce but also the possible divisions within the ranks over policy.

"I know that for many of you, the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a profound personal toll," Blinken said in the letter obtained by Reuters.

"The anguish that comes with seeing the daily images of babies, children, elderly people, women, and other civilians suffering in this crisis is wrenching. I feel it myself," he said.

"I also know that some people in the Department may disagree with approaches we are taking or have views on what we can do better. We’ve organized forums in Washington to hear from you, and urged managers and teams to have candid discussions at posts around the world precisely so we can hear your feedback and ideas. I’ve asked our senior leadership to keep doing that."

"We’re listening: what you share is informing our policy and our messages."

HuffPost was the first to report on the email.


Blinken's letter comes amid protests in the United States and other countries calling for a ceasefire, and widespread concern among officials over the U.S. response to the Middle East crisis, which has included the public resignation of one State Department official who said he opposed continued lethal assistance to Israel.

More than 500 people who worked on Biden's 2020 election campaign last week published a letter, seen by Reuters, calling for the president to support an immediate ceasefire, and a group of congressional staffers held a vigil on Wednesday at the Capitol demanding a ceasefire, images on social media showed.

While some sources say there has been "deep frustration" among members of working level staff at the State Department, several U.S. officials say, while the Department leadership welcomes a diverse set of voices, it is unlikely to profoundly change Biden's policy.

In a briefing earlier on Monday, Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken has met with a number of people from different bureaus within the agency to hear what they think about the policy over Israel-Hamas war.

"He encourages people to provide feedback. He encourages people to speak up if they disagree. It doesn’t mean that we’re going to change our policy based on their disagreements," Miller said.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Michael Perry)

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