President Joe Biden has lost another staffer over his handling of the Israel-Hamas War.
On Wednesday, Lily Greenberg Call, a special assistant to the chief of staff in the Interior Department, submitted her resignation letter, writing that she could “no longer in good conscience continue to represent this administration.” Call, who is the first Jewish political appointee to publicly resign from Biden’s administration, told the Associated Press (AP) that she felt that the president has been using Jewish people to justify his policies toward Israel.
President Joe Biden speaks at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, May 15, 2024. A fifth Biden administration staffer has publicly quit over the president’s handling of the… President Joe Biden speaks at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, May 15, 2024. A fifth Biden administration staffer has publicly quit over the president’s handling of the war in Gaza.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
The Context
The Democratic president has faced pressure from within his political party to pull back American support for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) amid the over seven-month conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF began a ground assault on Gaza following an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel. According to health officials in Gaza, which have been cited by AP, more than 34,000 Palestinians since the war broke out.
Divisions over the war in Gaza have been felt across the country, including sparking protests at several universities where students are demanding that colleges cut their ties with Israel. Biden has also faced warnings from Democratic voters during the 2024 primary season, with thousands of voters casting an “uncommitted” vote in protest of the president’s policies.
What We Know
According to AP, Call is at least the fifth mid or senior-level staffer within the Biden administration to publicly resign over the White House’s handling of the war in Gaza. She is also the second political appointee to do so–Tariq Habash, a Palestinian American, resigned from her job at the Department of Education in January.
“He is making Jews the face of the American war machine,” Call told AP, referring to comments Biden has made over the Israel-Hamas war. “And that is so deeply wrong.”
This is a developing story. It will be updated as information becomes available
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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