The Arabic-language spokesperson for the US State Department has resigned, citing opposition to Washington’s policy regarding the war in Gaza. This is at least the third resignation from the department on this issue.
Hala Rharrit was also deputy director of the Dubai Regional Media Hub and joined the State Department nearly two decades ago as a policy and human rights officer, according to the department’s website.
“I resigned in April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to United States policy toward Gaza,” she wrote on the social media site LinkedIn. A State Department spokesperson, when asked about the resignation during Thursday’s news conference, said the department has channels for its staff to share their opinions when they disagree with government policies.
Nearly a month earlier, Annelle Sheline of the State Department’s human rights office announced her resignation, and State Department official Josh Paul resigned in October.
A senior official at the US Department of Education, Tariq Habash, who is an American of Palestinian descent, resigned in January.
The United States is facing increasing criticism from the international community and human rights groups over its support for Israel, amid the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, which left tens of thousands dead and caused a humanitarian crisis.
Signs of dissension have been reported within President Joe Biden’s administration as the death toll continues to rise in the war.
In November, more than 1,000 officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), part of the State Department, signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire. Cables criticizing administration policies were also dropped on the State Department’s internal “dissent channel.”
The war has also sparked intense rhetoric and anti-war protests across the United States, Israel’s most important ally.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel has killed more than 34,000 people in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s health ministry, leading to mass displacement, hunger and allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
