The Washington Post
USAID staffers urge Biden to push Israel toward ‘immediate cease-fire’
By Andrea Salcedo and John Hudson
Updated November 4, 2023 at 1:38 p.m. EDT|Published November 3, 2023 at 10:16 p.m. EDT
The U.S. Agency for International Development is an independent agency of the government, primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. (J. David Ake/AP)
A growing number of officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development are supporting a letter urging President Biden to push for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, in the latest sign of upheaval within the federal government over the president’s strong backing of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
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Employees at the agency said they were “alarmed and disheartened at the numerous violations of international law; laws which aim to protect civilians, medical and media personnel, as well as schools, hospitals, and places of worship,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Washington Post.
The letter, dated Friday, has been endorsed by more than 630 employees, according to one of its co-authors, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. Foreign Policy first reported on the letter’s existence Friday.
Two authors of the letter said they continued to circulate the missive, which has gained the endorsement of colleagues based in a wide range of countries, including Peru, Mexico, Rwanda, Malawi and several others.
A USAID spokesperson called the scale of the suffering in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank “heart-wrenching,” adding that the agency welcomes its staffers to share their opinions with top officials from the organization.
“We appreciate the ongoing dialogue we have with our dedicated staff and partners, and continue to welcome our team to share their opinions with leadership,” Jessica Jennings said in an email to The Post.
The White House declined to comment.
The dissent within USAID — an independent agency of the United States government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance — follows other forms of disquiet within the administration. Another instance involves dissent memos within the State Department, in which officials have questioned the Biden administration’s ironclad support for Israel in the conflict, including the shipment of billions of dollars in bombs and munitions during the Gaza campaign.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and killed at least 1,400 people there, Biden has vocalized his support for Israel and his commitment to provide U.S. military assistance. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top aides contemplated their options earlier in the war, Biden told them that if the United States faced such an attack, his own response would be “swift, decisive and overwhelming.” He has likened Hamas to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda and spoken of his personal connection to Israel, reminiscing about conversations with Prime Minister Golda Meir a half-century ago.
In a speech at the White House in early October, Biden referred to Hamas as a terrorist organization whose “stated purpose for being is to kill Jews.”
“This is terrorism. But sadly for the Jewish people, it’s not new. This attack has brought to the surface painful memories, the scars left by a millennia of antisemitism and genocide for the Jewish people,” he said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Israel on Friday, asked Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip and to take “humanitarian pauses” to facilitate the flow of aid and the release of hostages. The death toll in Gaza is approaching 10,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli leader appeared to reject Blinken’s request, saying he would give in only after Hamas frees all of its hostages. Netanyahu, speaking in a televised address, said he told Blinken that “we are continuing full force, and that Israel refuses a temporary cease-fire that does not include the return of hostages.”
More than 200 Israelis and foreigners captured during the attack are thought to be held inside Gaza.
Michael Birnbaum, Karen DeYoung and Toluse Olorunnipa contributed to this report.
Israel-Gaza war
As U.S. and other world officials push for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there would be no “temporary cease-fire” until all hostages are returned. Hezbollah’s leader warned that all options were “on the table” in battles with Israel but did not announce an all-out escalation. Understand what’s behind the Israel-Gaza war.
Hostages: Israeli officials say Hamas militants abducted about 240 hostages in a highly organized attack. Four hostages have been released — two Americans and two Israelis — as families hold on to hope. One released Israeli hostage recounted the “spiderweb” of Gaza tunnels she was held in.
Humanitarian aid: The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it has received over 300 trucks with food, medicine and water to the Gaza Strip through Egypt’s Rafah crossing. However, the PRCS said, there hasn’t been permission yet to bring in fuel, which powers the enclave’s hospitals, water pumps, taxis and more.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has a complicated history, and its rulers have long been at odds with the Palestinian Authority, the U.S.-backed government in the West Bank. Here is a timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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By Andrea Salcedo
Andrea Salcedo is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2020 as an overnight reporter on the Morning Mix team. Previously, she covered breaking news and features for the New York Times metro desk. Twitter
By John Hudson
John Hudson is a reporter at The Washington Post covering the State Department and national security. He was part of the team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He has reported from dozens of countries, including Ukraine, China, Afghanistan, India and Belarus. Twitter
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