US State Department official for Israeli-Palestinian affairs resigns

Family obligations prompted Andrew Miller to resign, sources say

The State Department Building in Washington. The Washington Post quoted sources as saying Andrew Miller, deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, has quit to spend more time with hiShow more

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A senior US State Department official involved in Middle East diplomacy and known to be critical of President Joe Biden's support to Israel resigned on Friday.

The Washington Post quoted sources as saying Andrew Miller, deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, had stepped down. They said family obligations had prompted his resignation, as the Israel-Hamas war took him away from loved ones.

Sources also told the newspaper that had it not been for his family duties, Mr Miller wanted to remain in his role – particularly in pushing back against the Biden administration's “bear hug” relations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Miller did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The National.

His resignation follows others from the State Department, reflecting a growing tension over America's Israel-Gaza policy since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed up to 1,200 people.

More than 37,400 people in Gaza have been killed as Israel conducted military operations against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, according to local health officials.

Josh Paul, an official who assisted in arms transfers, was the first to publicly resign from his position.

Following his departure, Annelle Sheline, a foreign affairs officer at the Office of Near Eastern Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, and Hala Rahrrit, the State Department's Arabic spokeswoman, also resigned.

The Post says Mr Miller is now the most senior US official to quit. He had served in his role, which centred around Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy, since December 2022.

Mr Miller also worked as a senior policy adviser to the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, focusing on Mena issues and counterterrorism or political-military affairs.

Eric Pelofsky, an Obama-era official, credited Mr Miller on X, saying he was dedicated and thoughtful.

Mr Miller's State Department profile page said he worked as a director for Egypt and Israel military affairs in the National Security Council under former president Barack Obama for three years.

He held intelligence and policy positions under former secretary of state Hillary Clinton's leadership, that also included time at the US embassies in Cairo and Doha.

Before joining the Biden administration, Mr Miller for three years worked at the Project on Middle East Democracy and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Middle East Programme.