Biden State Department official resigns over Israel policy he says will cause 'deeper suffering'

"It was clear that there's no arguing with this one. Given that I couldn't shift anything, I resigned," he said.

By Ben Whedon

Published: October 18, 2023 8:51pm

Updated: October 18, 2023 9:13pm

An 11-year veteran of the U.S. State Department has resigned his position over President Joe Biden's handling of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Josh Paul, since 2012, served as the Director of Congressional & Public Affairs for the department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, his LinkedIn profile states. He announced his resignation via that platform on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Huffington Post, Paul cited his frustrations with the Department's unwillingness to depart from its position on the conflict. The administration has decidedly sided with Israel and Biden visited that country on Wednesday in a show of solidarity.

"I have had my fair share of debates and discussions and efforts to shift policy on controversial arms sales," Paul told the outlet. "It was clear that there's no arguing with this one. Given that I couldn't shift anything, I resigned."

His resignation followed an Oct. 7 Hamas raid on Israel that saw its forces seize border towns, take hostages, and kill civilians. The brutal incursion prompted an ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces and the conflict has resulted in cross border fire into both and Syria and Lebanon.

"Let me be clear: Hamas' attack on Israel was not just a monstrosity; it was a monstrosity of monstrosities," Paul said in his LinkedIn post. "I also believe that potential escalations by Iran-linked groups such as Hezbollah, or by Iran itself, would be a further cynical exploitation of the existing tragedy."

"But I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response, and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people – and is not in the long term American interest," he asserted.

Biden plans to deliver a primetime address on Thursday in which he is expected to speak to the American public on the importance of supporting Israel.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.