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A US State Department official who worked on arms transfers to foreign nations has resigned over the Biden administration’s handling of Israel’s war on Gaza, calling the White House’s response “an impulsive reaction” based on “intellectual bankruptcy”.
Josh Paul, who worked in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, said he could no longer support further US military assistance to Israel.
“I cannot work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing more arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be short-sighted, destructive, unjust and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse,” Mr Paul wrote in his resignation letter posted on LinkedIn on Thursday.
Mr Biden plans to ask Congress for more than $2 billion in combined additional aid for Israel and Ukraine. He is expected to address the nation and the world about both wars later on Thursday evening, from the Oval Office.
Meanwhile, Israel has asked the US for $10 billion in emergency military aid, according to several reports. The aid package is being put together in a bill by Congress, in co-ordination with the White House, and is expected to be put to vote after Mr Biden’s address.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that he would be working to approve an aid package for Israel, “hopefully within the next few weeks”.
Mr Schumer said US politicians had discussed providing Israel with 155mm artillery ammunition, replacement ammunition for the Iron Dome missile defence system, precision-guided bombs and JDam kits to turn standard bombs into precision munitions.
He also announced $100 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Mr Biden visited Israel on Wednesday and expressed solidarity with the country after the Hamas attacks on October 7. The visit was part of an attempt to gauge Israel's war objectives and prevent the war from becoming a regional conflict.
Mr Biden warned Israel to be cautious as it tries to remove the threat posed by Hamas.
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Protesters gather outside the US consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in support of Palestinians after an air strike on a Gaza city hospital killed hundreds earlier this week. EPA -
Protesters gather near the US embassy in Tokyo, Japan, to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. AP -
Protesters wave Palestinian and Syrian opposition flags in support of Gaza residents, in the rebel-held town of Atme in Syria's Idlib province. AFP -
Protesters take part in a pro-Palestinian rally near the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan, amid global outrage over the air strike on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. EPA -
Thousands of pro-Palestinian and Palestinian Americans march towards the Israeli consulate in Chicago during a protest. AP -
Jordanians protest outside the Israeli embassy in Amman following an Israeli air strike which ripped through a Gaza hospital, killing hundreds. AFP -
A rally in support of the people of Gaza after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al Ahli Arab Hospital for which Israel was blamed, though it denied responsibility, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Reuters -
Hezbollah supporters take part in a demonstration after the horrific blast, in southern Beirut. Reuters -
People gather in Baghdad's Tahrir Square to protest against Israel after it bombed Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, killing more than 500. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National -
Thousands of people in Iraq, Iran and Jordan rallied to show their outrage in the aftermath of the Israeli air strike. Aymen Al-Ameri/ The National -
Protesters set fire to a Lebanese security building outside the US embassy in Beirut. Reuters -
A wounded protester is carried away outside the US embassy in Beirut. Reuters -
Protesters gather in front of the US embassy in Beirut to demonstrate against an Israeli air strike on Gaza's Al Ahli Hospital. Reuters -
The blast drew condemnation across the Arab world, and protests were also staged at Israel's embassies in Turkey and Jordan. Reuters -
People clash with riot police outside the Israeli consulate during a protest to show solidarity with Palestinians, in Istanbul. AFP -
Palestinians protest against an Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza, in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. EPA -
Palestinians take part in a protest in Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters -
Pro-Israel counter protesters are kept away by police officers as people participate in a candlelight vigil organised by NYU students in support of Palestinians in Washington Square Park in New York. AFP -
A pro-Israel counter protester wrapped in the Flag of Israel is escorted away from a vigil organised by NYU students in support of Palestinians in Washington Square Park in New York. AFP -
Iranian students and demonstrators throw eggs at the French embassy in Tehran. AFP -
Several people demonstrate in support of Palestine at the Palestinian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. EPA -
Protesters wave Palestinian and Moroccan flags as they gather in front of Parliament Square in Rabat, Morocco. EPA -
Protesters burn an Israeli flag as they gather in front of Parliament Square. EPA
“After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. While we sought justice, we also made mistakes,” Mr Biden said.
Mr Paul had spent more than 11 years in his position, which co-ordinates relations with Congress and handles public messaging for an important office that deals with military aid.
He said his specific role handling weapons deals did not come without “moral complexity and moral compromises”.
“I made myself a promise that I would stay for as long as I felt I the harm I might do could be outweighed by the good I could do,” 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.”
