Biden education appointee resigns over Israel-Gaza war

A Biden political appointee to the Education Department stepped down in protest of the administration's response to Israel's conflict in Gaza in the latest sign of Democratic dissent over the war.

"I cannot stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives, in what leading human rights experts have called a genocidal campaign by the Israeli government," Tariq Habash, a Palestinian American who served as a special assistant for nearly three years, said in his resignation letter Wednesday to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

"I cannot be quietly complicit as this administration failed to leverage its influence as Israel's strongest ally."

Also on Wednesday, 17 anonymous Biden re-election campaign staffers wrote a letter published on The Medium calling on the president to demand and work toward an "immediate, permanent ceasefire," advocate for the release of Hamas hostages and more than 2,000 arrested Palestinians, among other things.  

The dissent comes after Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 others. Israel responded militarily, and the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatant casualties, says more than 22,000 Palestinians have died since the war began. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said last month that about 8,000 Gazan terrorists have been killed since Oct. 7.

Current and former Biden staffers and Democratic officials have been expressing their disagreement with the administration on Israel for months.

For example, more than 500 former 2020 Biden campaign and Democratic Party staffers signed a letter in November urging the president to call for a ceasefire. 

Biden administration staffers held a vigil outside of the White House last month calling for a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the National Muslim Democratic Council said in October that it would mobilize against Biden in the 2024 presidential election if he did not force Israel to reach a ceasefire. 

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