US President Joe Biden's administration is facing internal dissent from within its own ranks regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The latest blow came on Wednesday when Tariq Habash, a senior education official under Biden, resigned, citing the administration's perceived failure to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza from Israeli forces.
Letter Criticizes Biden's Israel-Hamas Handling
Habash, a Palestinian-American and a political appointee specializing in student loans and college affordability, expressed his concerns in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. In the letter, he stated, "I cannot stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives, in what leading human rights experts have called a genocidal campaign by the Israeli government."
This resignation follows a trend as a group of 17 current Biden campaign staffers published a letter on Medium, anonymously calling out the President for his approach to the Israel-Hamas war. The staffers conveyed their concerns to President Biden, urging him to demand a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
"As your staff, we believe it is both a moral and electoral imperative for you to publicly call for a cessation of violence," the campaign staffers wrote. They also condemned the continuous 'unconditional' military aid being sent to Israel from US resources.
The letter outlined five demands for the President, including calls for de-escalation in the conflict region, particularly around the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Israel-Lebanon border. Additionally, the anonymous staffers demanded concrete steps to end what they perceive as the root causes of the conflict: apartheid, occupation, and ethnic cleansing, as per Daily Mail.
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Silent Response as Staffers Express 'Tough Love' to Biden
A campaign official refused to comment on the letter, maintaining President Biden's position that "Israel has a right and obligation to defend its people after the October 7 terrorist attack."
While the letter's signatories were granted anonymity to protect them from potential backlash, five of them confirmed the letter's legitimacy to West Wing Playbook. One staffer mentioned that their motivation was to provide President Biden with a form of 'tough love,' hoping it would prompt him to call for a ceasefire and demonstrate his true character to the world.
Despite growing internal discontent, the conflict in the Middle East shows no signs of de-escalation. Israel's recent drone strike in Lebanon's capital Beirut, targeting Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, has raised concerns about the conflict spreading beyond the Palestinian enclave and engulfing the broader Middle East.
Arouri's assassination marked the first targeting of a senior Hamas political leader since the initiation of Israel's military campaign almost three months ago. Lebanon's Hezbollah group, a powerful Hamas ally, vowed to retaliate against any Israeli targeting of Palestinian officials in Lebanon, potentially escalating the conflict on Israel's northern border.
As tensions rise and criticism mounts within President Biden's own staff, the administration faces challenges in navigating the complex dynamics of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The internal dissent highlights the urgency for a reevaluation of the US approach to the situation in the Middle East, according to NY Breaking.
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