Following disputes over a recently published government report claiming that Israel does not obstruct humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, a U.S. State Department official has resigned. Stacey Gilbert, an official in the Office of Population, Refugees, and Migration, sent an email to staff on Tuesday explaining her viewpoint, stating that the State Department erred in concluding that Israel did not hinder aid entry into Gaza, and thus justified sending weapons to Tel Aviv, according to the Washington Post.
In response, a department spokesman, when asked about the resignation, said, "We have previously made it clear that we welcome diverse viewpoints, and we believe that makes us stronger." The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, added that the department will continue to seek a wide range of perspectives to inform its policy-making.
Jush Paul, the first official to resign from the State Department over Gaza, noted, "On the same day the White House announced that the recent atrocities committed in Rafah did not cross its red line, this resignation shows that the Biden administration will do anything to avoid the truth." He further elaborated in an extensive article published on his LinkedIn account, saying, "This is not just a story of bureaucratic complicity or incompetence—there are people signing off on arms transfers, people drafting approval memos for arms transfers, and people turning a blind eye."
It is worth mentioning that the contentious report Gilbert contested was released this month in response to a presidential memorandum known as NSM-20. Biden issued this memorandum after facing pressure from Congressional Democrats concerned about the rising death toll in Gaza. The decision called for the State Department to assess whether Israel's use of U.S. weapons in Gaza violated U.S. or international humanitarian law, including an examination of whether humanitarian aid was deliberately obstructed.
