Biden's pro-Israeli stance contested from within the US federal government
Internal memos, notably from State Department diplomats, asked the American president to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and to be more critical of Israel.Every week brings a new domestic challenge. Within the Biden administration and the federal government, a heated debate is developing over American support for Israel. Initially ardent and unconditional after the October 7 attack by Hamas, the administration's position has subsequently had to take into account, at least in diplomatic terms, the disastrous impact of the indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip and the appalling human toll. The White House came to realize, belatedly, that America's credibility in the region had been damaged by the war crimes attributed to Israel. But this stance also caused tension in Washington itself.
The first outburst came from an American diplomat, Josh Paul, working in the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. After 11 years of service, he decided to resign on October 18 to speak out against the delivery of additional weapons to Israel, as part of a policy that he considered "shortsighted, destructive, unjust and contradictory to the very values we publicly espouse." He explained his departure publicly, in a text published on LinkedIn.
A few weeks later, Politico revealed the existence of a sensitive but unclassified memo written by other diplomats, whose number and identities are unknown. The memo recommended greater American vigilance with regard to the military operation in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. "We must publicly criticize Israel's violations of international norms such as failure to limit offensive operations to legitimate military targets," the memo said. "When Israel supports settler violence and illegal land seizures or employs excessive use of force against Palestinians, we must communicate publicly that this goes against our American values so that Israel does not act with impunity."
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/11/15/biden-s-pro-israeli-stance-contested-from-within-the-us-federal-government_6258213_4.html......