A coalition of State Department staffers are accusing President Joe Biden of “spreading misinformation” as he responds to the Israel-Hamas war, according to an internal memo obtained by Axios.
Without pointing to a specific moment, the memo reportedly cites Biden’s Oct. 10 speech, which addressed Hamas’ gruesome terrorist attack on Israel, as an example of the “misinformation” the president is accused of spreading, according to Axios. A junior State Department employee who previously argued Biden’s pro-Israel stance made him “complicit in genocide” organized the memo signed by 100 State Department and United States Agency for International Development employees, per the outlet.
“Members of the White House and (the National Security Council) displayed a clear disregard for the lives of Palestinians, a documented unwillingness to de-escalate, and, even prior to October 7, a reckless lack of strategic foresight,” the memo states, according to Axios.
The memo suggests the Biden administration should advocate for the release of hostages being held by both Hamas and Israel, Axios reported. The staffers argue the president should be doing more to question Israel’s response to Hamas’ attack and criticized Biden for questioning how many Palestinian civilians have died in Gaza, per the outlet.
US President Joe Biden (L), sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting, in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (MIRIAM ALSTER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The staffers add that Israel cutting off electricity and limiting aid to Gaza while carrying out attacks on Hamas that have affected hundreds of Palestinian civilians allegedly “all constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law,” the memo reads, according to Axios.
“Yet we have failed to reassess our posture towards Israel,” the memo continues, per the outlet. “We doubled down on our unwavering military assistance to the (Israeli government) without clear or actionable redlines.”
Democrats and allies of the president have criticized Biden and his administration for being too pro-Israel. An additional group of State Department staffers criticized Biden on Nov. 6 for his pro-Israel stance and demanded the president call for a ceasefire. Some within the president’s party worry Biden’s backing of Israel could cost him to lose votes of young Democrats. (RELATED: Dems Now Mad About Biden Admin Transparency Over Weapons Transfers To Israel)
“We understand — we expect, we appreciate — that different people working in this department have different beliefs about what United States policy should be,” a State Department spokesperson told Axios in response to the memo.