The Biden administration on Friday tapped Mira Resnick, an official deeply involved in weapons transfers to Israel, for a new role shaping policy at the State Department on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to two people familiar with the move.

The decision surprised some foreign policy professionals and was seen as particularly alarming by skeptics of President Joe Biden’s near-total backing of Israel’s devastating ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

Resnick previously worked at the State Department’s Political-Military Affairs bureau, which has approved billions in arms shipments to Israel during the Gaza war despite concerns from lawmakers and human rights groups that Israel is violating U.S. and international law in its use of American weaponry.

“Assigning [Resnick] … reflects a doubling down on the administration’s determination to continue to provide unconditional material support for Israel’s genocidal campaign against civilians in Gaza,” argued Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official who quit the agency in protest over Biden’s approach earlier this year.

  • distantsounds@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    34
    arrow-down
    9
    ·
    4 months ago

    Resnick previously worked at the State Department’s Political-Military Affairs bureau, which has approved billions in arms shipments to Israel during the Gaza war despite concerns from lawmakers and human rights groups that Israel is violating U.S. and international law in its use of American weaponry.

    “Assigning [Resnick] … reflects a doubling down on the administration’s determination to continue to provide unconditional material support for Israel’s genocidal campaign against civilians in Gaza,” argued Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official who quit the agency in protest over Biden’s approach earlier this year.

    Biden again further enabling the escalation of genocide.

  • xenomor@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    13
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    Joe Biden is a fucking monster. He and his State Department toadies are criminally liable for the atrocities they are perpetrating. Furthermore, Harris owns ALL this now that she pulled the mask off at her DNC coming out speech. Don’t come at me pointing at the hollow, uninspired gestures she made to humanity in her speech. She made it very very clear that she’s fully locked in to both excusing and fueling the genocide of Palestinians just like her beloved mentor.

    • Waveform@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      And let me be clear. And let me be clear. I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself

      link

      The US will keep saying this while continuing to give Israel offensive weapons along with defensive ones.

    • BertramDitore@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      4 months ago

      I pretty much agree with you, with the small caveat that nearly every single US president has been a total monster with their foreign policy decisions. Doesn’t make it right, but historical context is super important.

      Since we don’t have the option to vote for someone who wouldn’t be a monster with their warmongering, we unfortunately have to vote for the person who would be a little less monstrous, and right now that’s Harris. And who knows, once Biden is out of the picture and Harris can make her own decisions, she might turn out to be better than we’re expecting. Probably not, but anything will be better than Trump.