Service in Dissent: Joint Statement by U.S. Government Officials Who Resigned Over U.S. Policy on Gaza, Palestine, and Israel

The current crisis

The US political choices have led to disaster. First of all, disaster and quickly the growing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli government has created for the Palestinian people, for which the mistakes of the American bureaucracy were paid with blood innocent men, women and children. More than 37,000 Palestinians have died so far, a huge most of the civilian and humanitarian infrastructure was destroyed, thousands of innocent people people are still missing under the rubble and millions of people are still struggling with the resulting famine due to Israel’s arbitrary restrictions on food, water, medicine and other important humanitarian issues goods. However, instead of holding the Israeli government accountable for its role in the arbitrary hindering humanitarian aid, the United States has stopped funding the largest aid provider Humanitarian aid to Gaza: UNRWA, the UN agency for the Palestinians.

Secondly, we note with further concern and sadness that the US policy for many years, but especially since October 2023, has not only contributed to enormous humanitarian damage, but also failed when assessed in the context of their declared intentions: to contribute to peace and security everything in the Middle East, and especially in Israel. Instead of using our enormous leverage, establish barriers that can lead Israel towards a lasting and just peace, we have made it easier for them to do so self-destructive actions that deepened his political quagmire and contributed to his durability global isolation; there is no regional solution, no agreement with autocratic regimes, no a diplomatic step towards resolving the issue of the Palestinian right to self-determination, which may provide Israel with real security.

Third, the US policy in this area is deeply damaging not only to US relations region, but for 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. No we have only caused deep and lasting damage to our relations throughout the region and destabilized it Middle East, but our policy towards Gaza has led to a doubling of our support for fragile regional autocracies as a safeguard against public opinion. Meanwhile, on the global stage, who doesn’t see us as hypocrites when the United States condemns Russian war crimes while unconditionally arming and justifying Israel? Who isn’t laughing now that Secretary Blinken describes the “rules-based international order” while at the same time undermining it in favor of Israel? — a tragedy after decades that Americans spent building this order.

What went wrong?

Each of us has our own experiences of cascading process failures, leadership and decision-making that has characterized this administration’s uncompromising response to this situation ongoing misfortune. Together they create a picture of an overlapping and systemic set problems in the political approach of this administration and a number of warnings that have been unheeded:

In our collective experience, we have been observing for years the silencing of concerns about Israel human rights and the failure of the Oslo process and broader US policy. We have seen debate silenced in government; facts distorted; laws omitted and deliberately ignored, even violated; and lawyers working overtime to avoid faithful enforcement of the law. We have seen America, in a process that is upside down, is rushing to arm Israel even as civilians are being massacred American weapons and efforts to share intelligence with Israel contributed to this disaster. We have seen peaceful protests that have been met with disgusting accusations of anti-Semitism and violence, while an administration that previously fought for free speech on college campuses stood by has been silenced. We have seen unconditional US support for Israeli military operations in Gaza to prevent advocacy for human rights in the Middle East and lead regional advocates turn away from our diplomats. We have seen the US government dehumanize both Palestinians and Jews, making the former victims of their weapons and the latter scapegoats for their war machine. We have seen an administration that is willing to lie to Congress, and Congress it punishes for the truth.

Both our individual and collective experiences show that the administration puts priority politics over just and fair lawmaking; profit over national security; falsehood over facts; directives over debate, ideology over experience, and special interest over equal enforcement The result of these injustices are tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian lives were taken, clearly showing the world whose lives matter and whose life simply does not concern the policymakers of the United States. As members of the United States Government, every single one of us witnessed this rejection of American values, which led us to resign.

What should be done?

+ The basic principle and first step in correcting US policy is The Government of the United States to faithfully execute the laws. It is perfectly clear that The administration is currently deliberately violating many American laws and trying deny or distort facts, exploit legal loopholes or manipulate processes in order to ensure a continuous flow deadly weapons for Israel. Like virtually every credible and independent international organization the human rights organization said there had been clear, serious human rights violations rights of Israeli security forces units dating back to before 2023, which should to force a finding of ineligibility under the Leahy Acts. As many credible humanitarian aid organizations have also identified Israel as doing this and continuing to do so, arbitrarily obstruct US-funded humanitarian aid, which should trigger suspension of security assistance under section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act. a government that operates above or around the laws made by elected legislatures is not a government that is faithful to the Constitution or its obligations to its citizens these United States.

+ Second, we believe that the US government should use all necessary and available means of pressure to immediately end the conflict and release all hostages, The Israelis kidnapped on October 7 or the thousands of Palestinians, many of them children who are held without charge in Israeli administrative detention.

+ Third, we believe that the United States should provide the necessary financial resources and support ensure immediate increase in humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza and the reconstruction of this territory is a moral obligation, considering the damage and the destruction that has been done so far has been largely caused by American weapons.

+ Fourth, we believe that the United States should immediately announce that the policy The United States will support self-determination for the Palestinian people and an end to for military occupation and settlement, including in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

+ Fifth, we believe that there is an urgent need to change organizational cultures and structures that have made the current US approach possible. This includes strengthening mechanisms of supervision and accountability within the executive power, transparency in arms transfers and legal deliberations, ending the silencing and sidelining critical voices and changing the rules through the legislative process; we commit to cooperation with the executive and legislative authorities to develop detailed reforms and their implementation.

+ Finally, we believe that freedom of speech in this country is under threat and we renounce it political pressure on colleges and universities that led to militarization police response to peaceful protests and we call on the US government, including The Departments of Education and Justice will take all necessary steps to protect freedom of speech and peaceful protest. Our message to our former colleagues: Your voice matters. I am writing to you with the hope that you will use your positions to strengthen the appeals for peace and hold your institutions accountable for the violence that is unfolding in Palestine. We thank those of you who work every day for fair and equal rights. policies that protect all lives. We recognize the systemic obstacles you face, both in performing your job and when you are considering leaving it. We especially look out for those of you who represent Diverse Americans who feel their voices are meaningless, ignored and treated as tokens. We are with you and we know that a better way is possible, but only if we are all brave enough to challenge the institutions and outdated forces that try to silence us. We encourage you to keep pushing. 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 address your disagreements with the team. Speaking out has a snowball effect, inspiring others to use their voice. There is strength in numbers and we urge you not to be complicit. We encourage consultations with inspectors general, legal advisors, with appropriate members of Congress and through other protected channels to ask questions truth and/or legality of specific actions or policies. There are resources and you have advocates, including all of us who can support you in telling the truth. We conclude with the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King in his message on the Vietnam War, echoes today: “the call to speak is often a calling full of agony, but we have to speak… because we “We desperately need a new way out of the darkness that seems so close around us.”