Andrew Miller, State Dept expert on Israel-Palestine, quits over Gaza war

A senior US State Department expert on the Israel-Palestine conflict and sceptic of President Joe Biden's handling of Israel's genocidal war on besieged Gaza has resigned, according to a report.

Andrew Miller, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, was a critic of President Joe Biden's "bear hug" approach to Israel during the war, and is described by people who know him as a stalwart supporter of Palestinian rights and statehood, the Washington Post newspaper reported on Friday.

Miller told colleagues that he is leaving his post because he has rarely been able to see family during the course of Israel's 260-day war and that if not for them, he would have preferred to stay in his job to "fight for what he believes," the Post reported.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed the departure in a statement to the Washington Post, saying, "Andrew brought deep experience and sharp perspective to the table every day."

"Everyone here is sorry to see him go, but we wish him well in his next endeavours," he added.

One US official said Miller pushed for the US to use its leverage over the Israeli regime, including the substantial military, economic, political and diplomatic support it provides to Tel Aviv, more effectively.

"He's certainly on the more progressive side of administration officials when it comes to the region, including on Israel-Palestine, but he has also never been a 'burn it all down and forgo pragmatism' type," the official said.

"He has always advocated that the United States should support Palestinian rights and statehood, but his advocacy while in government has generally been quiet and measured."

Surge of resignations

His resignation comes on the heels of at least eight other Biden administration officials' departures who left in protest of the war in Gaza and the president's hitherto refusal to break lockstep with the Israeli regime.

But Miller's resignation is notable as it marks the departure of the most senior official with a role in Israel-Palestine policy-making.

Stacy Gilbert, a former senior State Department official, resigned over Israel's hindering aid into the blockaded enclave.

Hala Rharrit, a former American diplomat who also resigned over the Biden administration's handling of the war, recently told TRT World that President Biden's failed militaristic Gaza policy made it impossible to achieve peace.

"I was watching, monitoring, witnessing and reporting back to Washington on a daily basis the ramifications of our policy throughout the Arab world, and I could see that it was helping no one," she told TRT World in an interview.

Josh Paul, a former senior State Department staffer, was the first to quit over Biden's handling of the war, sparking a wave of resignations in Washington. Since then, he has become a regular in pro-Palestine protests in the US capital.