Biden official who resigned over Israel says staffers feel 'betrayed' by Biden's failed 'moral' leadership
A State Department staffer who resigned in protest over President Biden's Israel policy explained staffers feel "betrayed" by the administration's "extreme support" for Israel amid its ongoing offensive in Gaza.
Annelle Sheline told "Amanpour & Company" host Christiane Amanpour that she resigned publicly Wednesday from her job as a foreign affairs officer after her colleagues begged her to voice dissent on their behalf.
Sheline argued the U.S. was violating humanitarian laws by continuing to aid Israel amid what they viewed as human rights abuses. She claimed staffers felt "betrayed" by Biden over what they saw as a failure of his pledge to reestablish America as a moral leader.
"And I just want to be clear that Israel is in violation of U.S. laws, whether it’s the Leahy laws or Section 620 of the Foreign Assistance Act. The law is very clear here. And I worry very much that not only, when the administration flouts those laws, it’s not only having a devastating effect for the people of Gaza, but for U.S. moral standing abroad. And this administration came in pledging to reestablish America’s moral leadership, to reengage in international institutions, and this was something that many of my colleagues inside State really believed in. And this is part of why so many people are feeling so betrayed by the decisions this administration keeps making," she explained to Amanpour.
CRITICS CHARGE BIDEN WITH ABANDONING ISRAEL, HOSTAGES AMID GROWING TENSIONS WITH JEWISH STATE
President Biden has faced increased hostility and protests from within his own party over his administration's support for Israel since the October 7 terror attack. As Biden has attempted to appease calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, tensions have grown between his administration and Israeli leadership who recently canceled a visit to the United States after the U.S. did not veto a United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire.
Sheline called the Biden administration's clear policy shift "encouraging" but argued it had made little difference to the people suffering in Gaza.
"I think to the extent that even things like the U.S. being willing to abstain at the UN Security Council is significant. But then the administration came out and immediately said that that was non-binding. So in general, I just find that the way the administration is trying to do this, I think they made a political calculation that they thought that it made the most sense politically to maintain this extreme support for Israel, regardless of the illegal behaviors that Israel engages in," she said.
A State Department spokesperson pushed back against Sheline's public resignation at a press briefing on Wednesday.
"There is a broad diversity of views inside the State Department about our policy with respect to Gaza just as there is a broad diversity in the State Department about our policy in a number of important foreign policy issues. As there is a broad diversity of views and opinions throughout American society about this issue and others," spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
The former State staffer is at least the second official to resign in public protest of the Biden administration's Israel policy. Josh Paul, who worked for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, quit last October.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have increasingly interrupted White House and campaign events to put pressure on Biden, most recently being a ritzy Biden fundraiser on Thursday in New York City.
Approval of Israel’s actions in Gaza has fallen among Americans for the first time since the conflict began, according to the newest Gallup poll published Wednesday.
The latest survey, taken between March 1 and 20, found that 55% of Americans now disapprove of Israel’s actions, with 36% approving, and 9% having no opinion. Of those polled, 74% said they are actively following news of the crisis (a minor uptick from the 72% who said the same in November).
At least half of all Americans approved Israel's operations in Gaza when polled by Gallup last November, with 45% disapproving and 4% having no opinion.
Fox News' Peter Aitken, Andrew Mark Miller and Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.