Gharit resigned “in objection to Washington’s policy towards the war in Gaza,” in at least the third similar step by the US State Department due to this crisis.
She wrote on LinkedIn: “I resigned in April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service, in protest against US policy in Gaza.”
According to the Ministry’s website, Hala was also Deputy Director of the Regional Media Center in Dubai, and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about two decades ago as a political and human rights official.
She told CNN: “I had every intention of continuing my career to the highest levels. I had no intention of resigning at all.”
But she added, “Unfortunately, the US government’s policy regarding the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has changed that.”
She explained that she and her colleagues “clearly knew that there would be a strong response to the Hamas attack on October 7,” but she continued: “I do not think anyone expected that the result would be 34,000 deaths and famine conditions in Gaza.”
The American diplomat said that there was no specific incident that prompted her to resign, but rather “the accumulation of events throughout the war, and the growing feeling that her warnings about the policy of destabilization were not heeded.”
She said: “I am fundamentally concerned that we are on the wrong side of history and harming our interests,” referring to the US administration’s strong support for Israel in the war on the Gaza Strip.
Greit also pointed out the existence of “double standards” in US policy regarding the effects of the war, including the humanitarian crisis and the killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
She added: “As a country, we must adhere to our principles. We cannot make exceptions. Our allies and enemies are watching, and this hurts us as a nation.”
She added: “Through opinion polls, we have witnessed an increase in anti-Americanism, and our popularity has declined throughout the region, including countries with which we had wonderful relations.”
Divisions in the US State Department
Greit said that some workers in the US State Department encouraged her to continue sharing her comments objecting to American policy, and told her that these objections would be conveyed “to the highest levels of decision-makers,” but others “silenced and marginalized her,” as she described it.
She continued: “I was told that you refuse to do your work.”
Although she said that “many” within the ministry shared her views, she emphasized: “It was very clear that others were completely uncomfortable talking about Gaza, or offering criticism of the war.”
She explained: “The idea of Americans being involved in killing civilians in Gaza is very difficult and devastating for diplomats who must acknowledge themselves.”
Greit asked: “What do you do with this information if you are not the person who can change the policy?”
With the United States urging Israel to do more to protect civilians and allow the passage of humanitarian aid, Washington continued to supply its ally with weapons, despite increasing violent reactions, even among senior American officials, regarding civilian casualties in the war.
There are divisions within the State Department over whether to believe Israel’s assertions that it is using American weapons in accordance with international law.
A wave of resignations
- Weeks ago, Anil Shilin of the State Department’s Human Rights Office announced her resignation.
- Department official Josh Ball resigned in October.
- Tareq Habash, a senior US Department of Education official who is Palestinian-American, resigned from his position in January.
- The United States has come under increasing criticism internationally and from human rights groups over its support for Israel in the ongoing offensive on Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands and created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
- There have been reports of signs of dissidence in President Joe Biden’s administration, as the war death toll continues to rise.
- In November, more than a thousand officials at the US Agency for International Development, part of the State Department, signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire, and cables criticizing the administration’s policy were sent to the State Department’s internal “opposition channel.”
- The war also caused heated rhetoric and anti-war protests across the United States, Israel’s most important ally.
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