Biden picks hawkish pro-Israel official to direct US policy on Palestine

The Biden administration has appointed a senior diplomat seen as a proponent of lethal weapons transfers to Israel to a new role in shaping US policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict, according to a US media report, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Mira Resnick is taking over the role of the deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs in the State Department’s Middle East office after Andrew Miller left the position this summer, the Huffington Post reported on Friday.

The report added that Resnick’s appointment raised concern among some foreign policy professionals, and was seen as "alarming" by opponents of President Joe Biden's unconditional support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

"Assigning (Resnick) ... reflects a doubling down on the administration's determination to continue to provide unconditional material support for Israel's genocidal campaign against civilians in Gaza," Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official who resigned over Biden’s Gaza policy, told Huffington Post.

"Miller was known as someone who understood the nuances of the situation and did his best to try to push back on the administration’s determination to facilitate genocide. Whereas DAS Resnick will eagerly support it," Sheline added.

When asked by Anadolu for comment on the reported appointment, the State Department said they have "no personnel announcements to share."

According to a report by The Hill late last year, Resnick, while serving as deputy assistant secretary for the Regional Security Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, played a key role in the transfer of millions of dollars' worth of weapons to Ukraine and Israel.

"I’ve been interested in foreign policy for as long as I can remember," Resnick was quoted as saying by the Hill.

"The US-Israel relationship was a private focus in my household because of my Jewish background, but also because we were just a politically aware family," she added.

US biggest supplier of arms to Israel

The Biden administration claims it is currently working to secure a ceasefire and hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas as talks continue in Cairo even as it has for last 10 months vetoed UNSC resolutions multiple times calling for truce in Gaza.

Biden administration is facing criticism for providing military funding to Israel, which has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 100,000 others. Some 10,000 Palestinians have been abducted by Israeli forces and another 10,000 are feared to be buried under the rubble of annihilated buildings.

Some 45 American physicians, surgeons and nurses, who have volunteered in Gaza since last October say the likely death toll from Israel's genocidal war is "already greater than 92,000". According to a study published in the journal Lancet, the accumulative effects of Israel's war on Gaza could mean the true death toll could reach more than 186,000 people.

Several human rights groups and former State Department officials have urged the Biden administration to suspend arms transfers to Israel, citing violations of international law and human rights.

​​​​​​​Biden in May paused shipments of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel over its carnage on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

However, the flow of other military equipment to Israel continued, including the State Department's approval this month of $20 billion in fighter jets and other military supplies.​​​​​​​

The US is by far the biggest supplier of arms to Israel, with more than 70 percent of its arms imports coming from the US, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Washington gives Israel $3.8 billion in annual military dole.

US-made weapons have been documented in several Israeli strikes on Gaza that resulted in civilian casualties, although US authorities have declined to confirm this.