Tariq Habash, official in Department of Education, says Biden's actions in support of Israel 'wholly out of line with democratic values'
A senior political appointee in the Biden administration on Wednesday resigned from his position in the US Department of Education, citing the government's continued support of Israel's war in Gaza, which the official said was leading to an ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
"As a Palestinian-American - in fact, the only Palestinian-American political appointee at the Department of Education - I bring a critical and underrepresented perspective to the ongoing work on equity and justice," Tariq Habash said in his resignation letter, shared with Middle East Eye.
"But now, the actions of the Biden-Harris Administration have put millions of innocent lives in danger, most immediately for the 2.3 million Palestinian civilians living in Gaza who remain under continuous assault and ethnic cleansing by the Israeli government. Therefore, I must resign," read the letter, sent to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
Habash stepping down from his post is the first such move by a major Biden official since Josh Paul, the top State Department official overseeing arms transfers, resigned from his position in the days after the war in Gaza began.
Habash, a Palestinian-American Christian whose family experienced the Nakba in 1948, said that he has experienced "each day the dehumanization and erasure of my identity by my peers, by the media, and by my own government". He served in the Department of Education as the special assistant in the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.
"For 75 years, my relatives have never been allowed to return to their familial homes. Millions of Palestinians have faced decades of occupation, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid, and the Biden Administration’s passive acceptance of this status quo is wholly out of line with democratic values," the letter said.
"Our government continues to provide unconditional military funding to a government that is uninterested in protecting innocent lives."
The resignation letter is the latest in a list of moves made by those in the administration who are unhappy with Biden's approach to Israel's war in Gaza.
Middle East Eye reported in October that State Department officials were preparing a draft dissent cable calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Israel, Gaza, and the occupied West Bank.
The cable also demanded the US government promote truthful and balanced public messaging towards resolving the crisis.
Sources have told MEE that within both the administration as well as US Congress, tensions over the last few months have been at a fever pitch, as officials have been growing increasingly frustrated with Biden's stance on the war.
On 9 November, more than 500 alumni of the Biden election campaign penned a letter demanding a ceasefire.
A month later in early December, a group of White House interns sent a letter to Biden himself, saying they could "no longer remain silent on the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people" and called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
While interns have little say over issues like foreign policy, the letter's strong language and inclusion of words such as "genocide" indicated a sharp disapproval of Biden's stance.
"I cannot be quietly complicit as this administration fails to leverage its influence as Israel’s strongest ally to halt the abusive and ongoing collective punishment tactics that have cut off Palestinians in Gaza from food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical supplies, leading to widespread disease and starvation," Habash said in his letter.
Biden's Israel support increasingly unpopular
In addition to the growing dissent from within his administration, Biden is facing discontent from his own political party and the American public over his approach to Israel's war in Gaza.
War broke out on 7 October when Hamas led an attack on southern Israel that caught the country's military off guard, killing 1,140 Israelis and other nationals, according to the Israeli government's most recent death toll. At least 240 people were also taken hostage. While some have been released, more than 100 are still being held in Gaza.
'The actions of the Biden-Harris Administration have put millions of innocent lives in danger'
- Tariq Habash, Biden political appointee
Israel responded to the attack by declaring war on Hamas and launched an aerial bombardment followed by a ground invasion of Gaza that has so far killed more than 21,000 Palestinians, the majority of them being women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
In addition to the mounting death toll, Israel's military campaign has also displaced 1.8 million Palestinians, targeted civilian infrastructure including mosques and hospitals, and has led hundreds of scholars to warn that Israel may be committing genocide against Palestinians.
Israel and the US are also both facing legal battles in which they are accused of being a part of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The US responded to the war by throwing its full diplomatic weight behind Israel, and at the same time rushed military aid to the country and sent military reinforcements to the region.
The Biden administration has repeatedly said it is advising Israel to minimise civilian casualties. However, as the death toll of Palestinians continues to rise, the US is also fast-tracking weapons shipments to Israel.
The Biden administration has twice used an emergency authority to bypass congressional review and send artillery and munitions to Israel. This specifically has raised concerns from Democratic lawmakers, who put out statements opposing Biden's moves to forgo congressional authority on arms sales.
The US was also the sole country to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, a demand supported by the majority of the council as well as dozens of other nations. Washington's defending of Israel at the UN has led to growing isolation with the majority of the international community on the position of the Gaza war.
Public opinion polls in the US have also indicated Biden's approach is unfavourable, especially among young Americans.
A poll conducted by The New York Times found that half of young Americans believe Israel is intentionally killing civilians in Gaza, while 70 percent of them disapprove of how Biden is handling the conflict.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-senior-biden-political-appointee-resigns-over-us-support-israels-gaza-war
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