1/6/2024–|Last updated: 6/1/202401:46 PM (Mecca time)
The US Agency for International Development fired one of its senior advisers after he was pressured to resign, and his report on starving mothers in Gaza was censored.
Acting advisor Alexander Smith explained to the American website “The Intercept” that he had prepared a PowerPoint presentation to participate in the government agency’s “Global Conference on Gender Equality.”
He added that his presentation focused on the deterioration of maternal health in Gaza, based on public health data from the United Nations and the World Health Organization. One slide in his presentation referred to international humanitarian law in the context of the health crisis in Gaza.
But just before the conference, a dispute arose, with agency staff pointing to the slide and discussion of international law as potential material for leaks and documents. Although Smith was willing to make revisions, his show was ultimately cancelled. On the last day of the conference, he found himself unemployed.
We can’t even whisper
Smith told The Intercept that he thought it was unfair that misinformation about Gaza could freely go out into the world, while he couldn’t speak about the reality of starving pregnant women, adding, “We can’t even whisper about that at a conference on this topic.”
In a statement to the website, the US Agency for International Development declined to comment on “personnel matters,” but said that Smith was not forced to leave because he presented the conditions of mothers in Gaza. “As an agency, we value and intentionally seek out a diversity of viewpoints,” an agency spokesperson said.
Alexander Smith, a lawyer and public health expert, worked for the US agency for 4 years. Last February, he submitted an abstract of his presentation entitled “An Intersectional Gender Lens in Gaza: Race, Religion, Geography, Legal Status and Maternal/Child Health Outcomes,” which was accepted into the conference.
He was scheduled to make his presentation on May 22 in Washington, and on the 10th of the same month, that is, two weeks before the conference, the US State Department issued a report on Israel’s compliance with international law.
USAID officials urged Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to point out that Israel’s obligations under international law are not credible based on its behavior in Gaza since last October.
But Blinken’s report was largely reserved, expressing “deep concerns” about “action and inaction” by the Israeli government resulting in “inadequate” aid deliveries to Gaza, while concluding that Israel “does not prohibit or restrict the transfer or delivery of aid.” American Humanity.
International humanitarian law
At the conference, Smith wanted to touch on international humanitarian law, but his presentation slides did not specifically mention Israel.
He told The Intercept that he was not planning to stand up and shout, “Israel is committing genocide,” but rather just wanted to mention the laws.
When officials at USAID’s Middle East office reviewed Smith’s presentation days before the event, they pointed to the slide on international humanitarian law, in particular, and said it was unnecessary and should be deleted, and that it was an inappropriate place to comment on Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
Smith agreed to delete the slide and references to “Palestine,” including from the title of the infographic prepared by the United Nations Population Fund (Palestine Office), and agreed to other changes to comply with the talking points.
Remove it from the agenda
Ultimately, agency officials rejected the entire presentation. “Please remove this from the conference agenda,” Alison Salyer, a senior counsel at the office, wrote in an email. Salyer did not respond to The Intercept.
Last Monday, Smith joined the growing number of President Joe Biden administration officials who resigned over Gaza.
“Silencing debate about the lives of Palestinians and the ongoing global health catastrophe is inhumane,” Smith wrote in his resignation letter to the PA, “not just for the people of Gaza, but for the people of the United States who deserve to know the extent to which we pay for and support crimes against Palestinians.”