(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Senior State Dept. official resigns, citing family obligations [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-21 A Washington Post article titled State Dept. expert on Israeli-Palestinian affairs resigns amid Gaza crisis begins with A senior State Department official and skeptic of the Biden administration’s “bear hug” approach to the government of Israel resigned this week in a setback for U.S. diplomats pushing for a sharper break with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition. The article (free link) reports that Andrew Miller, the deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, “told colleagues Friday (June 21) that he had decided to leave his job.” He cited his family, saying he has seen them sparingly as the eight-month war in Gaza has become all-consuming. Miller told colleagues that if not for those responsibilities, he would have preferred to remain in his job and fight for what he believes, including in those areas where he disagreed with administration policy. The article says Andrew Miller is “the most senior U.S. official to resign to date whose portfolio focuses on Israeli-Palestinian issues.” It quotes an observer that Miller’s resignation is “a telling indicator of the general toll that the conflict has taken on those who have been working to deal with its security implications for the United States and its allies.” The article says “people who know Miller describe him as a principled supporter of Palestinian rights and statehood, and a nuanced thinker about Middle East affairs.” It quotes Aaron David Miller, a Middle East expert who says it has become difficult for officials at the department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs to influence policy. According to this expert, Andrew Miller “was caught in a bureau of well-intentioned and capable Foreign Service officers who have had little or no impact on U.S. policy before and even after October 7.” The article says Israel’s actions in Gaza since Oct. 7 have “divided officials across the U.S. government about the appropriate response.” At the outset of the conflict, Biden provided his full backing to the Israelis, surging weapons into the conflict and providing diplomatic and political cover at international institutions — even as Israel employed indiscriminate bombing tactics and impeded access to humanitarian aid. Nevertheless, says the article, “Netanyahu has repeatedly ignored U.S. demands to take a more surgical approach in Gaza and refrain from exacerbating tensions with Palestinians, such as withholding their tax revenue and using incendiary rhetoric.” The article reports that Andrew Miller “is said to have believed that the leverage the United States has over Israel as its biggest military, economic and political backer could have been used more effectively.” It also quotes an unnamed official that Andrew Miller “always advocated that the United States should support Palestinian rights and statehood, but his advocacy while in government has generally been quiet and measured.” Other officials are quoted that Miller was also “an unmatched supporter of Israel’s security and deeply attached to the fight against antisemitism.” One quote describes the general consensus: [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/21/2247860/-Senior-State-Dept-official-resigns-citing-family-obligations?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/