A veteran State Department official has resigned from his post to protest the Biden administration’s support of Israel amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Josh Paul, who reportedly served as the director of congressional and public affairs for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for over 11 years, complained in a public resignation letter that President Joe Biden’s “blind support for one side” (Israel) is producing policy decisions that are “shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values we publicly espouse.”
“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 the Palestinian people. I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it for longer,” his letter continues.
In the letter, he also condemned Hamas’ recent terror attack that left over 1,300 innocent Israeli men, women, and children dead: “Let me be clear: Hamas’ attack on Israel was not just a monstrosity; it was a monstrosity of monstrosities,” he wrote.
NEW: Senior official at the U.S. State Department Josh Paul has resigned over Biden’s failure in the Middle East.
In his resignation letter, Paul strongly condemned Hamas before blasting the Biden Administration for failing to put American interests first.
“Let me be clear:… pic.twitter.com/B53AUhAU7I
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 19, 2023
In an interview with The New York Times, he later doubled down on his grievances.
“Mr. Paul said that Israel’s cutting off of water, food, medical care and electricity to Gaza, a territory of two million people, should prompt protections in a number of longstanding federal laws intended to keep American weapons out of the hands of human rights violators. But those legal guardrails are failing, he said,” according to the Times.
“The problem with all of those provisions is that it rests on the executive branch making a determination that human rights violations have occurred,” he said in his own words. “The decision to make a determination doesn’t rest with some nonpartisan academic entity, and there’s no incentive for the president to actually determine anything.”
Speaking with HuffPost, he added that he felt he had to quit because he knew there was no way that he could push for a more humane policy while working for the U.S. government.
“I have had my fair share of debates and discussions and efforts to shift policy on controversial arms sales. It was clear that there’s no arguing with this one. Given that I couldn’t shift anything, I resigned,” he said.
According to Paul, he’s received a lot of internal support from former colleagues.
“I’ve been surprised by how many have said, ‘We absolutely understand where you’re coming from, we feel similarly and understand,'” he said.
A must read.
My former colleague Josh Paul resigned today from the @StateDept office that approves arms transfers because of the Biden admin’s decision to rush arms to Israel.
I have deep respect for Josh and I know he did not take this decision lightly.
Read his letter. pic.twitter.com/6hkoU2AsN4
— Brian Finucane (@BCFinucane) October 18, 2023
His primary issue is with the Biden administration giving Israel weapons that Israel is then using to bomb Gaza. He noted in his letter that while he’s had to make many moral compromises since he started his job, this one is a bridge too far.
“When I came to this bureau … I knew it was not without its moral complexity and moral compromises, and I made myself a promise that I would stay for as long as I felt … the harm I might do could be outweighed by the good I could do. In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact,” he wrote.
“I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms to Israel – I have reached the end of that bargain,” he added.
Responding to his resignation, critics on the right were sympathetic to his argument insofar as he was criticizing the Biden administration.
Look:
Would have been better if it was Biden resigning instead
— The Outsider (@RickHol7) October 19, 2023
Biden’s policies are inept as he is! They BOTH make no sense!
— GolliAir (@GolliAir) October 19, 2023
Remember when they said President Trump would start WW3 pic.twitter.com/pcKEAcp9Hv
— Underlord (@da_underlord) October 19, 2023
No matter what your views are on this conflict, he’s right about one thing:
The interests of the American people are the last thing this administration cares about.
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) October 19, 2023
We saw Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal.
Why would we expect a different result towards this conflict?
Biden is a failed President.
He must be impeached, immediately.
— ZNO (@RaymondZino) October 19, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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