US State Department Arabic spokesperson resigns in protest over Gaza policy

Hala Rharrit, the US State Department's Arabic language spokesperson, has resigned from her post over the Biden Administration's policy and ongoing military support of Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which has left more than 30,000 Palestinians dead. She is the third State Department official to quit in protest. Rharrit served for 18 years and said in an interview with Democracy Now! that ‘the American policy on this war has made it impossible’ for her to continue to serve as a diplomat.

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The Arabic language spokesperson of the US State Department has stepped down due to disagreements with Washington’s policy towards Gaza, marking the third resignation from the department since October 2023.

Hala Rharrit, a Palestinian-American, announced her resignation on LinkedIn, stating: “I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States’ Gaza policy. Diplomacy, not arms. Be a force for peace and unity.”

She had initially joined the State Department as a political and human rights officer, and also served as the deputy director of the department’s Dubai regional media hub.

In response to inquiries about the resignation, a State Department spokesperson informed Reuters yesterday that the department offers channels for its personnel to express differing viewpoints regarding government policies.

“There are channels through which our workforce can share their points of view when they disagree with a certain policy or a certain action that the US government is taking,” said Vedant Patel, deputy State Department spokesman.

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He added that dissenting opinions “help lead to stronger, more robust policymaking.”

“Ultimately, anybody’s decision on whether they want to continue to repeat, remain employed somewhere or not, that is ultimately a decision for them to make.”

It comes after Annelle Sheline from the State Department’s human rights bureau resigned last month and State Department official Josh Paul resigned in October after addressing his disagreement with the Biden administration’s decision to provide weapons to Israel in the wake of the current Gaza war.

Palestinian-American, Tariq Habash, a senior official in the US Department of Education, resigned in January.

In November, over 600 officials within the US Agency for International Development (USAID) signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire. Additionally, cables critical of the administration’s policy have been submitted through the State Department’s internal “dissent channel.”

Israel has killed more than 34,350 Palestinians since it launched its brutal bombing campaign on Gaza in October. The majority of the victims have been children and women.

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