A group of 12 ex-US government officials, who resigned because of the American backing for the Israeli war in Gaza, on Tuesday blamed President Joe Biden’s administration for being blatantly complicit in the deaths of Palestinians in the region. The collective statement from these officials suggests the US government broke its own laws by sustaining support for Israel and discovering ways to perpetuate the delivery of arms to their affiliate. Neither the White House nor the US Department of State have responded to the statement immediately.
Globally, there has been burgeoning critique of Israeli actions in Gaza and American military and diplomatic backing for its cohort in a conflict that has, up until now, resulted in almost 38,000 fatalities and instigated a humanitarian emergency. The departure of these 12 US officials symbolises a degree of disagreement within the government regarding its support for Israel. The US has advocated for the safety of Gaza’s civilians and has urged Israel to augment aid accessibility.
Those who put their names to the common declaration include past employees of departments such as the State, Education, Interior, and the White House, alongside former military personnel. “The US has indisputably contributed to the deaths and provoked starvation of an entrapped Palestinian populace in Gaza, due to its diplomatic shielding and unending provision of weapons to Israel,” the ex-officials stated.
They called upon the American government to utilise the “required and accessible leverage” to terminate the war, secure the freedom of Israeli captives in Gaza and Palestinian detainees in Israel. Furthermore, they insisted that the US government endorses Palestinian autonomy and invest in an “immediate enlargement of humanitarian aid” for Gaza.
The Gaza war has claimed the lives of nearly 38,000 people, according to local health authorities. Many more are suspected to be buried in the debris as nearly the whole region has been razed to the ground displacing most of its 2.3 million inhabitants. Food scarcity is also rife in Gaza. Israel has come under accusations of genocide because of this war, allegations it refutes.
The offensive on Gaza by Israel was provoked by the attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on October 7th, which led to the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 250 hostages to the Hamas-commanded enclave, as per Israeli accounts. – Reuters
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