A senior US State Department official said that the resignation of Andrew Miller, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, should alert those in Israel more than Americans.
The Times of Israel quoted the official, who did not reveal his name but described him as working extensively on the Israel file, that Miller is highly respected in Tel Aviv and supports the relationship between the United States and Israel.
“There is no doubt that Miller’s resignation should serve as a wake-up call for Israeli officials,” the official added. “If the Israeli government is creating an environment in which people like him resign, then they are clearly doing something very wrong.”
The senior US State Department official referred to the video clip published by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Tuesday in which he accused the United States of withholding arms shipments to Israel. “Such behavior causes Israel to lose the most nuanced voices in the administration,” the official said.
The official considered that Netanyahu “is actively working to drive a bigger wedge between the United States and Israel, and this leads people like Miller to feel that they have no choice but to resign,” as he put it.
The highest official resigned
American sources told Tel Aviv Tribune yesterday, Friday, that Andrew Miller, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, resigned from his position, in the latest episode in a series of resignations from the US administration against the backdrop of its position on the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The sources said that Miller’s resignation reached the office of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and will be effective on June 30.
The sources revealed that Miller had been intending to resign for some time due to the US administration’s position on the Gaza war.
The sources told Tel Aviv Tribune that what reinforced Miller’s decision was the US administration’s position on the Israeli attack on the city of Rafah and its failure to address the stubborn position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the sources, Miller, the highest-ranking official in American diplomacy in contact with war policy, is resigning from his position.
Miller hoped for a tangible shift in the position of President Joe Biden’s administration, and sought policy moderation from within the government.
According to the sources, Miller presented family reasons justifying his departure from his position and his resignation.
Later, the US State Department spokesman told CNN that the resigned official has deep experience and provides insightful opinions daily to the ministry. The spokesman added, “All employees of the State Department regret Miller’s resignation, and we wish him success.”
Series of resignations
- In late May, Alexander Smith, a contractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), chose to resign after he was given the choice between being fired after preparing a presentation on maternal and child mortality among Palestinians.
- In another resignation, State Department official from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Stacy Gilbert, sent an email to colleagues explaining that she was leaving because of an official department report that Israel had not obstructed food or other aid to Gaza.
- Also on May 8, Lily Greenberg, a Jewish official who served as special assistant to the chief of staff at the US Department of the Interior, resigned in protest against support for Israel.
- On April 26, the Arabic-speaking spokeswoman for the US State Department, Hala Gharit, announced her resignation, in objection to Washington’s policy towards the war on Gaza, making it at least the third resignation in the ministry due to this issue.
- About a month earlier, Anil Shelin of the State Department’s Human Rights Office announced her resignation, and State Department official Josh Ball also resigned last October.
- Tariq Habash, a senior official in the US Department of Education, an American of Palestinian origin, resigned from his position last January.
A few days ago, the American CNN network said that a group of officials in the Biden administration who resigned due to its handling of the Israeli aggression on Gaza are working together to support voices opposing the war and pressure Washington to change its course.
They said that they felt that their views, experiences, and concerns were not taken into account, and that the American administration was ignoring the humanitarian losses resulting from the Israeli war. They talked about the administration’s lack of attention to the impact of the war on Washington’s credibility.
Source : Tel Aviv Tribune + Agencies + Israeli press