An employee of the US State Department resigned this week, citing President Joe Biden’s Israel policy as the reason for her departure. On Thursday, she claimed her resignation was sparked by an administration report to Congress that inaccurately stated Israel was not obstructing humanitarian relief to Gaza.
Stacy Gilbert, a subject matter expert working on the report, was employed by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
“There is so clearly a right and wrong, and what is in that report is wrong,” Gilbert said in an interview.
The challenges and risks involved in delivering aid to Gaza and ensuring its distribution have long been lamented by the UN and humanitarian organizations.
The number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza has surpassed 36,000, and the enclave is mired in a humanitarian crisis. Consequently, human rights organizations and other critics have criticized the United States for arming Israel and endorsing its actions.
In early February, Biden issued a new National Security Memorandum. As a result, the State Department was compelled to deliver the 46-page unclassified report to Congress, which it did earlier this month.
The investigation concluded that Israel “did not fully cooperate” with US and foreign efforts to deliver humanitarian goods into Gaza in the days after October 7. Additionally, it highlighted several other issues.
However, it stated that this did not constitute a violation of US law prohibiting the transfer of weapons to nations that limit US humanitarian aid.
Gilbert, who spent more than 20 years working for the State Department, claimed to have informed her office of her resignation the day the report was made public. Tuesday was her last day.
Vedant Patel, a deputy spokeswoman for the US State Department, informed reporters on Thursday that the agency values different viewpoints. However, he would not comment on personnel-related matters.
He said that the administration supported the findings and continued to pressure the Israeli government to prevent harm to civilians. Moreover, they worked to expeditiously increase humanitarian access to Gaza.
“We are not an administration that twists the facts, and allegations that we have are unfounded,” Patel stated.
A request for response on Gilbert’s allegations was not immediately answered by the Israeli embassy in Washington.
Four bureaus, including Gilbert’s, participated in a classified initial options letter that warned U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel might be breaking international humanitarian law. The memo was exclusively revealed by Reuters in late April.
Ten days before the report was due, Gilbert claimed that the State Department had fired subject matter specialists from their positions working on the report to Congress. The report was then changed, she alleged, by higher ranking personnel.
Gilbert added that the last manuscript she viewed claimed Israel was obstructing humanitarian relief. However, this was different from the version that was published.
Prior to Gilbert, representatives for the Arabic language Hala Rharrit and the human rights bureau Annelle Sheline both resigned.
Israel has murdered over 36,000 Palestinians in its air and land conflict in Gaza. Hamas fighters entered southern Israel from Gaza on October 7 of last year, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping over 250 more, according to Israeli estimates. Consequently, Israel began its offensive.
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