State Department official Josh Paul has resigned from his position, citing a policy disagreement with the Biden administration’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict. In a LinkedIn post, Paul expressed concern over the continued lethal assistance provided to Israel, stating that he believes the response by Israel and American support for it will lead to more suffering for both Israelis and Palestinians. He criticized the administration’s response as impulsive, biased, and destructive in the long term. Paul cannot support a policy decision that involves sending arms, which he deems shortsighted, destructive, and contradictory to American values.
The State Department acknowledged that employees may hold different beliefs and stated that the administration strongly supports Israel’s right to defend itself. However, officials also emphasized the need for Israel to abide by international law and take precautions to avoid harming civilians. The US provides significant security assistance to Israel and is expected to request further assistance. In an interview, Paul expressed concern that legal measures intended to prevent American weapons from falling into the hands of human rights violators are failing, as the US supports Israel despite the dire situation in Gaza.
Although Paul expressed his disagreement, he noted that there currently isn’t much room for debate on the issue. In the past, there has been pushback from State Department officials responsible for human rights, but Paul states that this time there was no opposition from Congress either. The resignation underscores the division within the US government regarding its policy stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and raises questions about the effectiveness of current measures in ensuring human rights and accountability in the region.
