A memo criticizing Israel’s Gaza policy by State Department staffers, and marked “sensitive but unclassified,” was obtained by Politico. They report that it has two key requests (quoting Politico): “that the U.S. support a ceasefire, and that it balance its private and public messaging toward Israel, including airing criticisms of Israeli military tactics and treatment of Palestinians that the U.S. generally prefers to keep private.”
Included in the memo is reference to the “growing loss of confidence among U.S. diplomats in President Joe Biden’s approach to the Middle East crisis. It reflects the sentiments of many U.S. diplomats, especially at mid-level and lower ranks….” The U.S.’s public message, says the memo, “contributes to regional public perceptions that the United States is a biased and dishonest actor, which at best does not advance, and at worst harms, U.S. interests worldwide. We must publicly criticize Israel’s violations of international norms such as failure to limit offensive operations to legitimate military targets…. 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.” U.S. passivity in light of the extent of the civilian death toll “engenders doubt in the rules-based international order that we have long championed.”
The State Department declined to comment directly on the memo. Politico writes that “multiple dissent memos about this war are being circulated in the State Department in efforts to gather signatures…. The memo obtained by Politico was authored by two mid-level staffers who have worked in the Middle East, said a department employee who has seen the document and was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.”
The memo suggests a growing tension and dissent within the top tiers of government over this situation, and it is likely far larger than is being reported. Another report by HuffPost on Nov. 3 reports that Secretary of State Blinken had already held a private meeting with a group of State Department officials who lodged a formal dissent over the issue.
