Former US State Department employees speak of disappointment with government

Two former senior U.S. State Department officials who resigned in protest of U.S. President Joe Biden's administration's policies toward Israeli military operations in Gaza recently spoke about their decisions in interviews with the Yomiuri Shimbun. They spoke of a sense of helplessness over the failure of efforts within the US government to stop the killing of civilians, and of disappointment with the US government's unwillingness to change its pro-Israel stance.

The following material is an excerpt from the interview.

Hala Harit

Former US State Department Arabic Press Secretary

Yomiuri Shimbun: Please tell us the reason for your resignation.

Lalit: As an Arabic press secretary, I was monitoring pan-Arab media and I saw a rise in anti-Americanism like I had never seen before in my career… Anti-Americanism began to rise, even among those who loved and admired America. Losing complete trust and respect in the United States.

After October 7, the situation became very unstable and volatile as all the footage was leaked from Gaza and the situation became very emotional.

From my perspective, the content of our discussions was counterproductive because it focused too much on Israel's right to defend itself.

My job would have been to appear in the Arab media and communicate the talking points. And I didn't do that. And I told the State Department that we would not do that. It's not because I personally disagree with the policy. It has nothing to do with my personal beliefs. That is what is happening when these statements are read out in Arab media and Arab social media.

It obviously put me in a very difficult situation professionally… To be honest, it was a very frustrating experience for me, having worked as a diplomat for 18 years. Throughout my career, I have never felt unable to have a conversation and try to improve a situation.

We've had so many difficult policies, especially in this part of the world, but as a State Department, we're constantly discussing what's working, what's not working, and how we can be more strategic. … But the conversation about this particular policy was so muted and people were so afraid to speak that it became impossible to continue in those circumstances.

There are many dissatisfied people in the company.

Many of them contacted me and said, we are very frustrated. I wish I could resign, but I can't. ”

Yomiuri: How do you evaluate the Biden administration's Gaza policy?

Mr. Lalit: This policy that the president has pursued in Gaza has been militaristic. And it has been driven strictly by the idea that the enemy must be defeated by strictly militaristic means at all costs.

Not only has it been devastating for Gaza's civilian population, but it has also failed to make Israelis any safer.

I'm at least trying to get Washington to understand how much this message and this policy has been rejected to the point where we're seeing massive anti-Americanism. And there was data, there was polling, there was internal data and some internal polling that showed that before October 7th, and during the conflict, and as the days went on, America's favorability ratings plummeted. .

I documented this in the daily report in that department, and as you know, America was called a child murderer. We were called devils. All these memes were going around.

But nothing had changed.

I felt I could no longer be part of a system that refused to change even after all this destruction. So I decided to submit my resignation.

No more bombing will get us there. That will be the case with diplomacy.

Josh Paul

Former Director of the Political-Military Bureau, U.S. Department of State

Yomiuri: Why did you quit your previous job?

Paul: I was in charge of security systems and weapons transfer. It was part of my daily job to be one of those approving large-scale arms transfers to countries around the world, including Japan. But of course, in this context, so is Israel. I resigned in mid-October because…we were being asked to approve large-scale arms transfers that would result in untold human suffering and significant civilian casualties. By the time I resigned, he had killed more than 3,700 people in Gaza, most of them by American weapons. I felt like this wasn't something I could be a part of.

We have received multiple requests from the Israeli government to expedite arms transfers, and we have been directed by senior U.S. government officials in both the State Department and the White House to advance these requests as quickly as possible.

The Biden administration announced something called the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy in February 2023, which provides for the transfer of weapons if the weapons are likely to be used to commit certain types of human rights violations, including weapons violations. states that it is not allowed. International law and harm to children. However, the State Department did not apply its own policy. None of these weapons were withheld.

Yomiuri: Did you try to change that response within the government?

Paul: Shortly after October 7th, I wrote an email to a senior official…I think we need to stop and think because what we're doing is clearly not working…I'm about 24 I know about the matter [people who resigned from government posts] In the last month.

I think what we've seen is a series of systematic violations of international law, a systematic disregard for civilian life in Gaza… So I say to President Biden, it's time for change. It's time for…I cast my vote for President Biden a few years ago. I think it's up to him whether he wants my vote this time on what he does over the next six months.

— The interview was conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun reporters Keita Ikeda and Riley Martinez.