Two ex-Biden officials break their silence after resigning in protest over the administration's support for Israel's Gaza policy, saying it's "disastrous" and "infuriating" and is leading to numerous resignations among government officials.
In a scathing rebuke of the Biden administration's foreign policy, two former officials who resigned over the president's support for Israel amid the Gaza conflict have voiced their disillusionment. Tariq Habash, a former Biden political appointee, and Lily Greenberg Call, a Jewish activist who became the first Jewish political appointee to quit over Gaza policy, appeared on CNN to express their discontent.
Habash described a "dam breaking" among government officials, with growing anger over the administration's stance on the conflict. "People are saying what they've been saying privately for months: that this policy is disastrous and it's infuriating," he said.
Call echoed Habash's sentiments, saying that "Tanks rolling into west Rafah, people burning alive in their tents, I don't see how that is not an invasion... It's U.S. weapons that are used to massacre innocent Palestinian civilians." She accused Biden of breaking U.S. law by continuing to supply weapons to Israel despite its human rights violations.
According to Habash, the administration has ignored concerns raised by officials within multiple agencies. "There are so many people who had been working within the system, trying to speak through the proper channels about what they are witnessing," he said. However, they have faced resistance and a culture of silence.
Call described a similar experience, saying that "Folks are afraid to speak up, but we know that people across government have been letting their superiors know for months that they disagree with this." She believes the recent airstrike that killed dozens of civilians in Gaza has heightened concerns and could lead to more resignations.
Both former officials expressed a growing consensus within the administration and among the American public that the administration's Gaza policy is deeply flawed. "The majority of the people on the inside feel that they are not being listened to and the majority of the American people are not being listened to," Call said.
Habash revealed that dozens of officials from various agencies have already resigned in protest. "I know there are people who've left from the White House, there are people who've left from agencies that are working directly on this and not working on this at all," he said.
The resignations and public statements by Habash and Call underscore the deep divisions within the Biden administration over Gaza policy. It remains to be seen whether the administration will respond to their concerns and make significant changes to its approach.
