State Department staffers blast Biden’s stance on Israel-Hamas war: memo

One hundred employees from the State Department and Agency for International Development signed a scathing internal dissent memo criticizing President Biden’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, accusing him of “spreading misinformation” and unwilling to de-escalate the conflict.

The five-page memo, organized by a junior diplomat on Nov. 3, blames Biden for a failure to call out Israel for “war crimes” in Gaza during his speech on Oct. 10, where the president said the US stands with the Jewish State, Axios reports.

“[Biden] doubled down on our unwavering military assistance to the [Israeli government] without clear or actionable redlines,” the memo reads.

The staffers went on to accuse Biden of spreading misinformation about the war, but they failed to cite any specific instance when the president allegedly lied about the conflict.

The memo also accuses Israel of committing “war crimes” after it initially cut power and humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which the Jewish State defended as a means to stop supplies from reaching Hamas.

One hundred employees from the State Department and Agency for International Development criticized Joe Biden’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war.POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The staffers claimed Biden made the nation complicit in war crimes in Gaza as Israel carried out airstrikes. AFP via Getty Images

With the State Department employing more than 77,000 people, and the USAID with its more than 10,000 staffers, the dissenters amount to just 0.11% of their workforce.

Despite the small size, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said officials were open to hearing opinions from all its employees as the memo was submitted through the department’s dissent channel, which allows workers to voice their dissatisfaction with government policy.

“I will say as I said before, that this is a difficult issue where people have very strong feelings for very good reasons,” Miller said of the war. “That is not true just at the State Department. You look at the protests that have happened around the country, the protests that are going to happen in Washington this week.”

“The Secretary wants to hear from those employees. He wants to hear what their opinions are,” Miller added.

Wounded Palestinians took refuge at the Nasser Hospital on Monday.AFP via Getty Images

This is not the first time a dissent memo has been submitted to the State Department regarding the Israel-Hamas war.

Last week, it was revealed that another memo was filed to the department to call on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Politico reports.

As Miller alluded to, residents across the US are also divided on the war, with many rallies breaking out across the nation since the new conflict began, with people showing support for either Israel or the Palestinians.

The Israeli military vowed to eradicate Hamas as it conducts a ground incursion in Gaza.EyePress News/Shutterstock

Last week, a pro-Palestinian group marched in Washington D.C., cursing at the president and demanding a ceasefire in Gaza amid Israel’s ground incursion to eradicate Hamas.

More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel following the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas, and since the IDF began its retaliatory strike, more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

The death toll is unprecedented in the history of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.