Over 400 officials across 40 government agencies have signed a letter calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and criticizing President Biden's response to the Israel-Hamas war.
“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 the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the text reads, in part.
The signatories include officials at the State Department, Justice Department and the White House's own National Security Council. The New York Times first reported on the development, coinciding with similar efforts from members of the House Democratic Caucus.
The latest domestic turmoil over the conflict comes as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported finding a Hamas command center under Rantisi Children's Hospital. Controversy has erupted online, fueled by the IDF's focus on Gazan hospitals, allegedly used by Hamas as human shields above their subterranean lair. The terror group and its health ministry deny the allegations.
The New York Times has more on the internal dissent in Washington:
Although the Biden administration has recently started voicing concern over the high numbers of Palestinian civilians killed while urging Israel to show restraint, that budding criticism does not appear to be placating many in the U.S. government.
The letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The New York Times, began by denouncing the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, then urged Mr. Biden to stop the bloodshed caused by Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza.
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Some of the signatories helped Mr. Biden get elected in 2020 and said in interviews they were concerned that the administration's support of Israel's war in Gaza clashed with Democratic voters' stance on the issue.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans support a cease-fire,” the letter states, linking to a poll from October that shows that 66 percent of Americans, including 80 percent of Democrats, believe the United States should put pressure on Israel for 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 added.
Biden and other Western leaders have yet to call for a cease-fire, arguing it would provide Hamas with time to regroup for future attacks. However, they continue to advocate for humanitarian pauses in the fighting.
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