Several White House staff members are worried about retaliation if they question Israel’s conduct in Gaza. “It feels like post-9/11 ,” one said.
Several staff members of the administration of US President Joe Biden, in particular those with Muslim backgrounds, are worried about retaliation if they question Israel’s conduct in Gaza, HuffPost reported on Wednesday.
The news website cited several staffers “across multiple agencies, most of whom work on national security issues,” but did not identify any of them by name.
AJA: The director of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city of Deir Al-Balah, south of the Gaza Strip, Iyad Al-Jabri, said that the strategic stock of medicines and medical supplies has ended.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 19, 2023
The days since the Hamas attack on October 7 have been “the first time in the administration that there was a real culture of silence,” one official reportedly said.
“It feels like post-9/11 where you feel like your thoughts are being policed, and you’re really afraid of being seen as anti-American or an anti-Semite.”
Another, identified only as a career civil servant, said they were worried about the consequences of criticizing the president on social media.
“I feel like there’s no place for me in America anymore, and I’m on thin ice with my clearance because of my heritage and because I care about my people dying,” the civil servant was quoted as saying.
In a ‘solidarity’ visit with #Israel, #US President Joe #Biden declared his total support for Netanyahu’s war on the Palestinians, going as far as blaming #Palestinians for a gruesome massacre at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in #Gaza City on Tuesday. https://t.co/p30CnDApUQ pic.twitter.com/cvZRoV7WTP
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 18, 2023
A person working in the administration told HuffPost that the “inner, inner circle” deciding US policy is “not at all diverse,” which defeats the point of having a variety of opinions at the table.
The same person added that the Biden administration’s policy decisions “show stunning disregard for innocent Palestinians – and that same dehumanization is also reflected in how staff are being treated.” There was “so much care for some lives” abroad, and for “certain” staff, but not others.
Yasmin Fanselow reflects on the 'unfathomable' cruelty of a world that ignores, worse, legitimizes the killing of innocent Palestinian #children in #Gaza #GazaHospital #Gaza_Genocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/FWUbTzvmHx
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 18, 2023
Biden and the rest of the US leadership, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have pledged unconditional support for Israel in its ongoing war on Gaza.
(RT, PC)
