As of today, Al Jazeera reports, an open letter that began circulating among employees of the State Department’s U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Nov. 3, that calls on the U.S. government to declare an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, has now gathered 1,000 signatures. The letter first began circulating on Nov. 3 and was covered at that time by Foreign Policy and the Washington Post, at which point signatures had reached the 300-400 mark. There is no word as to how the despicable USAID Administrator Samantha Power has responded to the letter—if at all. She is a well-known proponent of the insidious “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine, used to justify regime change and color revolutions in countries on the U.S.’s “enemies” list.
As the letter explains, "While we appreciate and acknowledge efforts by USAID to call for an urgent humanitarian response in Gaza and understand that the Agency is working tirelessly to make this happen, we must remember that humanitarian assistance efforts and life-saving aid are largely rendered moot in situations of escalating and indiscriminate bombing and violence.”
It continues, “we believe that further catastrophic loss of human life can only be avoided if the United States government calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages, and the restoration of water, food, fuel, and electricity to the people of Gaza by the State of Israel.… In the longer term, we call on the United States government to join the international community and human rights organizations in holding all parties, including the State of Israel, to international law, which includes ending Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories and settlements on occupied land.”
According to Foreign Policy, which obtained a copy of the letter, its contents demonstrate the growing rift between Joe Biden and his cabinet and “rank and file U.S. officials internally opposed to the White House’s approach to the war.” The signers to the letter are being kept anonymous out of concern for their personal safety and risk of losing their jobs due to the call for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. Asked to comment on the letter, USAID spokeswoman Jessica Jennings replied that “the United States has been clear that every possible measure must be taken to protect Palestinian civilians, and that we support humanitarian pauses in the fighting in order to get life-saving humanitarian aid in and distributed to those in need in Gaza. We appreciate the ongoing dialogue we have with our dedicated staff and partners, and continue to welcome our team to share their opinions with leadership.”
