A U.S. State Department official, Stacy Gilbert, has resigned from service claiming President Joe Biden’s government is trying to covering up Israel’s alleged blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Gilbert, who served in the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, was a subject matter expert working a report, submitted to the congress, which she said were misrepresentation of the actual events in Gaza.
The State Department submitted the 46-page unclassified report earlier this month to Congress as required under a new National Security Memorandum that Biden issued in early February.
Among other conclusions, the report said that in the period after Oct. 7 Israel “did not fully cooperate” with U.S. and other efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza.
But it said this did not amount to a breach of a U.S law that blocks the provision of arms to countries that restrict U.S. humanitarian aid.
Gilbert, who worked for the State Department for over 20 years, said she notified her office the day the State Department report was released that she would resign.
U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that he would not comment on personnel issues but that the department welcomes diverse points of view.
He said the administration stood by the report and continued to press the government of Israel to avoid harming civilians and urgently expand humanitarian access to Gaza.
The United Nations and aid groups have long complained of the dangers and obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout Gaza.
As the Palestinian death toll in Gaza has exceeded 36,000 and a humanitarian crisis has engulfed the enclave, human rights groups and other critics have faulted the U.S. for providing weapons to Israel and largely defending Israel’s conduct.
