One hundred State Department and USAID employees have signed the memo, which accuses Israel of committing war crimes
By : Eva Surovell
An internal State Department dissent memo requesting a ceasefire in Gaza accuses President Joe Biden of “spreading misinformation” about the Israel-Hamas conflict and accuses Israel of committing “war crimes,” Axios reported on Monday.
The memo, sent to the department’s policy office on Nov. 3, has been signed by 100 State Department and USAID employees.
“We have failed to reassess our posture towards Israel,” the memo reads. “We doubled down on our unwavering military assistance to the (Israeli government) without clear or actionable redlines.”
Citing the president’s Oct. 10 speech on the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, the memo accuses Biden of “spreading misinformation” without naming a specific example within the speech. The memo also criticized the president for expressing doubt in the death toll reported by the health ministry in Gaza.
The employees also called on the Biden administration to negotiate the release of hostages, more than 200 of whom are still being held by Hamas. White House officials said Sunday that the administration is committed to active negotiations to facilitate the release of hostages.
The memo accused Israel of committing “war crimes and/or crimes against humanity” by cutting off electricity, limiting aid and engaging in airstrikes and ground incursions that have displaced thousands of Palestinian civilians throughout the conflict. The accusation echoes a similar comment made by United Nations Commissioner Volker Türk last week, who said both Hamas and Israel have perpetrated war crimes throughout their ongoing conflict.
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