A US State Department official in the office that oversees arms transfers, Josh Paul, resigned in controversy with the Biden administration’s decision to send weapons to Israel in the context of the conflict that erupted in Gaza on October 7, after the bloody attack by Hamas. The official justified his decision, in […]
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A leader of State Department American in the office that oversees arms transfers, Josh Paulresigned in controversy with the administration’s decision Biden to send weapons to Israel in the context of the conflict that exploded in Gaza on October 7th, after the bloody attack of Hamas. The official justified his decision, in complete break with the positions taken by the American president who flew to Tel Aviv to meet the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and renew his full support Washingtonsaying that the “blind support” is leading to political decisions”short-sighted, destructive, unfair and contradictory to the very values we publicly support.”
The leader explained his reasons and his position in the resignation letter submitted to the State Department: “The response that Israel is giving, and with it the American support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to greater and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and Palestinian people,” explained the man who served as director of public and parliamentary affairs for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for more than 11 years. And it was precisely his long stay in the offices of the State Department that gave him the conviction that American military policies in the hottest contexts were wrong. No precise references, such as to unconditional military support for Ukraine or, going further back in time, to the decision to invade Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s. But the judgment is clear and without filters: “I fear that we are repeating the same mistakes made in recent decades and I refuse to be part of them for a longer period.”
Paul then also gave an interview in which he argues his positions in such a way as to make it clear that it is not an ideological issue, but a purely procedural one. Specifically, he starts by recalling that Israel is implementing a blockade on Gaza which prevents the population from accessing basic necessities, such as water, food, electricity and fuel. Behaviors that constitute a violation of international law. That’s why, he says, protections under a series of long-standing federal laws intended to keep American weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers should be triggered: “The problem with all of these provisions is that it’s up to the executive branch to determine whether human rights violations occurred. The move to make a decision is not up to some nonpartisan academic entity, and there is no incentive for the president to actually determine anything.” In this case, however, the administration decided to ignore international conventions in the name of unconditional support for Tel Aviv.
2023-10-19 13:08:22
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