Senior US State Department official resigns over Gaza war

In a bold move, a senior American official in the Bureau of Political and Military Affairs of the US State Department has resigned from his position.

Josh Paul, the official in question, cited his strong objections to what he described as reckless military support for the Israeli Occupation during its recent aggression against the Gaza Strip as the primary reason for his departure.

Announcing his resignation on LinkedIn, Paul made it clear that he could not, in good conscience, contribute to the provision of what he referred to as "deadly weapons" to countries with a track record of human rights violations.

He emphasized that he had, for 11 years, made moral compromises to avoid transferring lethal arms to such countries, but he had reached a point where he felt compelled to take a stand.

He said he “cannot be both against the occupation, and for it. We cannot be for freedom and against it.”

Paul also said that the attacks launched by Hamas on Tel Aviv were brutal, but expressed his belief that the Israeli Occupation’s response and the United States' support for the occupation would only lead to more suffering and escalation. He argued that this approach was not in the long-term interest of the United States.

Paul criticized what he saw as a biased and intellectually flawed response by the administration and members of Congress. He stressed that supporting one side in the conflict had ultimately damaged the long-term interests of “both Palestinians and Israelis.” He also warned against repeating mistakes from previous decades.

In discussing collective punishment, Paul highlighted how it ran counter to the principles of peace. He pointed out that methods such as home demolitions, ethnic cleansing, and the maintenance of an occupation and apartheid contradicted the idea of achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

In conclusion, Paul stated that he could not remain within the American government and support decisions he viewed as short-sighted, destructive, and unfair, particularly when they clashed with the values he held dear.