A State Department memo challenging the U.S.’ unflinching support for Israel amid its war with Hamas and bombardment of the Gaza Strip urges the Biden administration to back calls for a ceasefire, according to a copy obtained by Politico. The so-called “dissent memo,” as the outlet characterized it, was marked “sensitive but unclassified.” It was unclear how many staffers had signed it, or whether it had been submitted to an official channel within the department that allows them to voice their opposition to policy. The missive demands that the U.S. be willing to “publicly criticize Israel’s violations of international norms,” adding that relegating any such criticism to private diplomacy “contributes to regional public perceptions that the United States is a biased and dishonest actor, which at best does not advance, and at worst harms, U.S. interests worldwide.” Airing publicly that Israel’s support for tactics like “settler violence” and excessive use of force go “against American values” will also stop Israel from acting with impunity, the memo asserts. In line with procedure, the State Department declined to comment directly on the memo to Politico.
