Over 40 White House interns signed an anonymous letter criticizing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over their handling of the Israel-Hamas war, calling on the administration to work towards a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages “including Palestinian political prisoners,” and an end to “Israeli apartheid” in the region.
“[We] will no longer remain silent on the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people,” the interns wrote in a copy of the letter obtained by The Daily Beast and first published by NBC News. “We heed the voices of the American people and call on the Administration to demand a permanent ceasefire.”
The group said it is comprised of interns within the Domestic Policy Council, Executive Office of the President and Office of the Vice President, Office of Presidential Correspondence, and other offices throughout the White House—all dissatisfied with both the Israeli and American governments’ handling of the war.
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“We were horrified by the brutal October 7th Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, and we are horrified by the brutal and genocidal response by the Israeli government, funded by our American tax dollars, which has killed over 14,000 innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, a large percentage of whom are children,” the letter read.
The White House has bucked calls for a permanent ceasefire in favor of shorter pauses in fighting, such as the week-long truce which was brokered in part by the United States and expired last week.
“To Hamas’ members, every cease-fire is time they exploit to rebuild their stockpile of rockets, reposition fighters and restart the killing by attacking innocents again,” Biden wrote in an op-ed published last month in The Washington Post.
Since the ceasefire’s collapse, Israel has pushed its offensive into southern Gaza, which awaits “the same fate” as the obliterated north, one senior Israeli official told The Daily Beast.
“We support the work the President and the Administration have done to advocate for minority communities and closing the systemic gaps in our country,” one intern told The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity. “However, we also believe it is our duty to stand up against injustice and genocide, and to point out the wrongs committed by our leaders. We urge the Administration to change course.”
The intern added that, in addition to the letter, the group has worked to make their thoughts known to administration officials in their limited capacity.
“While the Administration expressed support for the humanitarian pause, we maintain that anything other than a complete halt of Israel's mass slaughter of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip will simply not suffice,” the interns wrote in their letter. “We will never forget how the pleas of the American people have been heard and thus far, ignored.”
