Joe Biden, the President of the United States, has promised unwavering US support for Israel since the Hamas attack. In a Thursday televised speech to the nation, Biden said that he would ask Congress for $100 Billion to fight Hamas. Some of this money will also go to the Ukraine war, and $14 Billion more to Israel. When left-leaning governments are in power and hire left-leaning staff to run their departments and agencies they risk hiring people who are more left than the administration. Biden’s administration was no doubt rife with leftists, but it seems that the State Department is now rife with them as well.
The State Department is hot garbage, so we can only hope and pray that they all quit https://t.co/stjRwVHaqC
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 20, 2023
The Biden administration’s policy towards Israel has reportedly caused a rise in frustration among State Department employees. The staff also feels that Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and his senior advisers, are placing more emphasis on Israel and Hamas’ fight and less on the aid for innocent Palestinians in Gaza. The resignation of Joshua Paul as director of congressional affairs and public relations for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs of the State Department has caused dissent among State Department employees. Paul cited as his reason for resigning the U.S.’s sending weapons and ammunition to Israel, and what he deemed as “blindly supporting one side.” Paul’s departure may not be the end of it.
Matthew Miller is the State Department’s spokesperson. He said:
“Secretary Blinken spoke on this issue on several occasions. He has said that he is open to people exercising their right to dissent. He is interested in hearing different opinions. He takes it very seriously and it makes him reflect on his own policymaking.
State Department employees aren’t feeling Antony Blinken’s “everyone counts” message. Many employees have complained about a “chilling work environment” and a “culture” of silence when it comes to discussing opinions on the Israel-Hamas Conflict. Others are “resigned” and “depressed.” One staffer was reportedly “in tears” after a meeting discussing that staffer’s view “that U.S. policy statements emphasized support for Israel over the lives of Palestinians.” Staff has also been discouraged from using phrases like “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed,” and “restoring calm.” Others have been heard mentioning that they would follow Paul out of the building. Tom Sullivan, Blinken’s deputy director of policy and staffing, is blamed by several staffers for the toxic work environment. You may have heard about his brother Jake who is Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor. Many people are afraid to bring up their concerns with him.
Career officers and bureaucrats at the State Department are not elected. Their job is to advance the Administration’s foreign policy agenda, not to subvert it by pursuing their own policy preferences. (That’s why I chose not to apply to be a foreign service officer, despite my…
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) October 20, 2023
It is a little strange that so many State Department staffers are upset over the United States sending aid to Israel. Israel-Hamas will leave many people in Gaza and Israel in dire need. The attack on Israel was the beginning of the problem. Many people in the world seem to not understand that Israel must defend itself and what will happen to them if they don’t. Or is this a misunderstanding? It is unclear what is on the minds of State Department employees who are upset. If they are supporters of both Israelis as well as Palestinians, we hope that they will be educated about each party involved.
We cannot afford to have a State Department described by an employee in this manner: “There is basically a mutiny at State on all levels.” We should know which “side” is being taken by the staff at the department that’s responsible for diplomacy.
That is State Department on any given day since forever, actually.
But the interesting thing in this article is that the cause of the angst is the staff’s perception that Biden & Blinken are favoring Israel too much. https://t.co/uQOAZTnphz
— Leslie McAdoo Gordon 🇺🇸 (@McAdooGordon) October 20, 2023
