State Department official resigns over US position on Gaza
Kyiv • UNN
U.S. State Department spokesperson Stacey Gilbert resigned over her disagreement with a U.S. government report that claims Israel is not obstructing humanitarian aid in Gaza.
US State Department official Stacey Gilbert resigned on Tuesday, May 28. She told her colleagues that the State Department made a mistake when it decided that Israel did not obstruct aid to Gaza. This was reported by The Washington Post, citing its sources in the foreign ministry, UNN reports .
Details
Stacy Gilbert, worked in the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. On Tuesday, Gilbert sent out an email to staff explaining that she believed the State Department had erred in concluding that Israel had not obstructed humanitarian aid to Gaza.
According to the newspaper, the resignation indicates an internal disagreement with a US government report that claimed that Israel was not obstructing humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Biden administration relied on this report to justify the continuation of billions of dollars in arms supplies to Israel.
A State Department spokesperson said that "we continue to press the Israeli government to avoid harming civilians and to urgently expand humanitarian access to and within Gaza. This includes facilitating rescue assistance, providing access to fuel, and ensuring safe freedom of movement for humanitarian workers.
The Washington Post notes that several Biden administration officials have resigned since the outbreak of hostilities in Gaza in October, including Anneliese Sheline, who worked on human rights issues, and Hala Rarit, one of the department's Arabic-speaking spokespersons.
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