Ex-US official says she quit over Biden's 'destructive support for Israel'

A former US official who recently resigned from President Joe Biden's administration has said that she quit over the US' "blind, destructive support for Israel."

Maryam Hassanein, former Special Assistant Office of the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, US Department of the Interior, who resigned on Tuesday, told TRT World in an interview on Wednesday that she thought during the early days of Israel's carnage in besieged Gaza, it wouldn't last long, and the administration must be moved to support the Palestinian liberation but "unfortunately, we haven't seen that."

Hassanein, who was the first Muslim appointee who resigned to protest US complicity in Gaza genocide, was among 12 other ex-US officials in a joint statement blasting Biden's support for Israel.

"It was a way to utilise our collective voice to show from various different experiences and from various different backgrounds that there is a better approach," Hassanein told TRT World.

"There doesn't have to be a steadfast support of Israel while they are essentially committing genocide in Gaza."

Hassanein also said she hoped her resignation would encourage other public workers to be more vocal and realise that this issue doesn't concern a certain group of people, adding that while she was conflicted before she resigned, she is still horrified by what's happening.

"But certainly, I have a feeling that at least I'm not really in a position where I'm in an administration that is funding and enabling this," she said.

She also said that for Democrats who support Palestine, it's hard for them to vote for Donald Trump in the US election, but at the same time, it's hard to support a "candidate who has caused a lot of harm", referring to Biden, urging him to listen the people rallying behind Palestine.

"I think I would really urge President Biden to listen to our voices, not just my voice ...but just the many people and students and everyone across the country that is rallying behind Palestine and really urging and pushing for a better approach to this," she said.

Wave of resignations

Hassanein's resignation was the latest after a series of other resignations since the start of Israel's genocidal war.

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 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 aninterview.

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 DC. Since then, he has become a regular in pro-Palestine protests in the US capital.

Others who resigned include:

Mohammed Abu Hashem, former First Sergeant with US Air Force

Lily Greenberg Call, former Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff in the US Interior Department

Harrison Mann, ex-US Army Major and Defence Intelligence Agency official

Tariq Habash, ex-Special Assistant in the Education Department's office of Planning

Annelle Sheline, ex-officer in the State Department's Human Rights Bureau

Alexander Smith, ex-contractor for US foreign aid agency, USAID

Anna Del Castillo, former Political Appointee & Deputy Director Office of Management & Administration (the White House)

Major Riley Livermore, former Futures Flight Commander, US Air Force