US State Dept official resigns over Biden’s ‘destructive’ arms aid to Israel

WASHINGTON D.C.: A senior US State Department official has resigned over what he described as the Biden administration’s “intellectual bankruptcy” in sending more weapons and ammunition to Israel, as Palestinian health officials said in Gaza said that the deadly Israeli bombings had killed more than 3,700 people.

Josh Paul, the director of congressional and public affairs for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, said in a letter, first reported by The Huffington Post,  that the government “rushing” to provide lethal arms to Israel was “shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse”.

In what is seen as a first significant sign of protest, Paul said the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs — where he served as director of congressional and public affairs — could “still do an immense amount of good,” and that American assistance is still needed around the world.

But, he said, “we cannot be both against occupation, and for it.”

We cannot be both for freedom, and against it,” Paul added. “And we cannot be for a better world, while contributing to one that is materially worse.”

“It is my firm belief that in such conflicts, for those of us who are third parties, the side we must pick is not that of one of the combatants, but that of the people caught in the middle, and that of the generations yet to come,” Paul wrote in his letter. “It is our responsibility to help the warring parties build a better world.”

The former official  also condemned the Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas on Israel that sparked the war, calling it “a monstrosity of monstrosities.”

Paul said the response taken by Israel, fueled by American support, “will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.”

The U.S. has provided “critical assets” to Israel, including emergency munitions to help the country with its counterattack.

Paul said the response by the Biden administration and many lawmakers is disappointing and unsurprising. He added that he is worried the U.S. is making the same mistakes “we have made these past decades” and that he no longer wants to be a part of it.

“It is my firm belief that in such conflicts, for those of us who are third parties, the side we must pick is not that of one of the combatants, but that of the people caught in the middle, and that of the generations yet to come,” Paul wrote in his letter. “It is our responsibility to help the warring parties build a better world.”

In this regard, he criticized Washington’s “blind support for one side.”

While not official yet, US media reported that the Biden administration is earmarking at least $40 billion of military aid to Israel.

At the same tie, he said he is heartened by President Biden’s announcement of a $100 million humanitarian aid package for civilians in Gaza. The aid package, announced by Biden during his trip to Tel Aviv, was approved by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will rely on working with Egypt to deliver trucks of food, water and medicine to the region, according to media reports.

Airstrikes from Israel have hit Gaza, including in areas declared as “safe zones.” More than 1 million Palestinians, roughly half of Gaza’s population, have been forced to flee areas in the north after Israel told them to evacuate.