Over 400 U.S. government officials from 40 government agencies sent a letter Tuesday to President Joe Biden demanding a cease-fire, opposing his support for Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip.
The letter, first reported by The New York Times, signed by political appointees and staff members from the State Department, White House, National Security Council and Justice Department, is part of a series of internal dissent channels within government agencies about the Biden administration's approach to Israel amid soaring civilian casualties as a result of Israel's ongoing bombing campaign on Gaza after an attack Oct. 7 by Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.
The letter seeks an immediate cease-fire and urges Biden to "stop the bloodshed caused by Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza, according to the report.
"We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," the New York Times quoted the letter.
"The overwhelming majority of Americans support a cease-fire," the letter said, citing a poll by Date for Progress released Oct. 18 - 19, showing 66% of Americans, including 80% of Democrats, as saying the U.S. should pressure Israel to impose a cease-fire.
"Furthermore, Americans do not want the U.S. military to be drawn into another costly and senseless war in the Middle East," it said.
The letter came after at least three internal dissent channels have been filed by dozens of State Department employees besides an open letter by some employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that criticized the Biden administration's policy on Israel.
Asked about a recent memo signed by 100 State Department and USAID employees on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said one of the strengths of the agency is the "diversity of views," adding the department "welcomes people to make those views known."
Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with several people from different bureaus within the State Department to hear what they think about the U.S. policy on the conflict.
"He encourages people to provide feedback. He encourages people to speak up if they disagree. It doesn’t mean that we’re going to change our policy based on their disagreements," said Miller.