US government officials who resigned over Gaza policy issue joint statement for first time

CNN
—

U.S. government employees who publicly resigned in protest at the Biden administration’s Gaza policies issued a joint statement for the first time Tuesday saying they were “united by a shared belief that it is our collective responsibility to speak out” and outlined steps they believe the U.S. government should take.

Twelve of the signatories have resigned at various points during the nearly nine-month conflict between Israel and Hamas, with one resigning as recently as Tuesday. Many have spoken out, including on CNN, about their decisions to publicly resign in protest of the administration’s policies. As CNN reported last month, officials have begun banding together to pressure the government to change course.

Tuesday’s statement was issued in conjunction with the Fourth of July holiday, noting that “as our nation celebrates Independence Day, each of us is reminded that we resigned from government not to take that oath but to continue to honor it; not to end our commitment to serve but to extend it.”

“The administration’s Gaza policy is a failure and a threat to U.S. national security,” they wrote in a joint statement titled “Service in Dissent.”

“American diplomatic cover and the continued flow of weapons to Israel have ensured our undeniable complicity in the killing and forced starvation of the besieged Palestinian population in Gaza. This is not only morally reprehensible and a clear violation of international humanitarian law and US law, but also a backstabbing of America,” they continue, arguing that this has put the lives of soldiers and diplomats at risk.

President Joe Biden has faced pressure both abroad and at home over his support for Israel in the Gaza war, a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives, displaced millions and brought extreme hunger across the enclave. While the administration’s rhetoric has become harsher — with warnings that Israel must do more to protect civilians and allow more aid — policy has remained largely unchanged.

The resigned officials say U.S. policy toward Gaza “has been deeply damaging not only to U.S. relationships in the region but also to our global credibility, the credibility of American values, and the credibility of the West — a particularly dangerous state of affairs in the context of this era of strategic competition.”

The joint statement makes six recommendations to the U.S. government. Among them is a call for the U.S. government to “faithfully enforce the law,” stating that “it is abundantly clear that the Administration is currently deliberately violating many U.S. laws and is attempting to deny or distort facts, exploit legal loopholes, or manipulate processes to ensure the continued flow of lethal weapons to Israel.”

It also calls on the government to use “all necessary and available means of pressure to end the conflict immediately”; expand humanitarian aid; support for self-determination for the Palestinian people; stronger oversight and accountability mechanisms within the executive branch; and support for freedom of speech for protesters on campuses.

The resigned officials, who spoke to CNN earlier, said many of their former colleagues felt the same way they did but were unable to resign. The joint statement ends with a message to such colleagues, telling them that their “voice matters.”

“We encourage you to continue to press. In our experience, no decision point is too small to challenge, so when you are in government service, use your voice, write letters to leaders in your agencies, and raise your disagreements with your team,” they continued. “Speaking out has a snowball effect, inspiring others to use theirs. There is strength in numbers, and we urge you not to be complicit.”