U.S. Official Quits Over Arms Transfer To Israel

A State Department official involved with transferring arms to key US allies resigned from his post, saying that “shortsighted decisions” by the Biden administration contributed to his having to make an unbearable moral compromise, Andrew Zhang reported for Politico.

Josh Paul, who worked for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, believes the Biden administration and Congress could take to better address the crisis, including recognition of a Palestinian state as the start of a diplomatic process and better recognition of human rights risks in arms transfers.

“In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact,” the official, Josh Paul, wrote in a post explaining his decision.

“I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued — indeed, expanded and expedited — provision of lethal arms to Israel — I have reached the end of that bargain.”

He added: “I cannot work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing more arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse.”

Paul worked for State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

He outlined several actions that he believes the Biden administration and Congress could take to better address the crisis, including recognition of a Palestinian state as the start of a diplomatic process and better recognition of human rights risks in arms transfers.

The US should not provide “arms into a conflict where there is a blatant risk — supported by a lengthy historical record — of likely and disproportionate civilian harm,” he wrote. During a recent trip to Israel, Biden announced $100 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

WEEKLY FEATURE : Jose Mari Chan And The Christmas Anthem