‘No concern for Palestinian suffering’: Former official criticizes US Gaza policy Israel-Palestine conflict news
Former State Department official Mike Casey says that the US government is pursuing Israel’s interests more than its own interests.
Mike Casey says he’s never seen anything like it.
Indeed, the former State Department official – who served as deputy political counselor in the United States Office of Palestinian Affairs – described his experience as a diplomat in Jerusalem as humiliating.
Casey told Al Jazeera, “It’s frankly shameful… the way we acquiesce to the Israeli government’s demands and continue to support what the Israeli government is doing even though we know it’s wrong “
“And I haven’t seen that in any other country I’ve served in.”
After four years in his post, Casey resigned in July over what he described as the U.S. government’s unwavering support for Israel despite its disastrous military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
His resignation – first reported by The Guardian newspaper this week – is the latest by a US official angered by President Joe Biden’s staunch military and diplomatic support for Israel since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
To date, Israel’s continued attacks on the coastal region have killed more than 45,000 Palestinians.
The conflict has plunged Gaza into a serious humanitarian crisis, and UN experts and leading human rights groups have accused Israeli forces of committing war crimes, including genocide.
The US has said it is working to ensure a ceasefire and the release of prisoners in Gaza. It also said it had pressured Israel to reduce civilian casualties in its military operations.
But Biden has refused to use US aid to Israel to end the war, rejecting calls to suspend US arms transfers to the top ally.
This has prompted anger and criticism from advocates who have dubbed the outgoing Democratic president “Massacre Joe.”
The US provides at least $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel annually, and Brown University researchers recently estimated that the Biden administration has provided an additional $17.9 billion since the beginning of the Gaza war.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Casey said his work in Jerusalem focused primarily on writing about the situation in Gaza, ranging from humanitarian concerns to economic and political issues.
He said the US government is aware of the grave conditions in the region, including mass casualties and lack of humanitarian assistance. “Yet we are pursuing these policies and supporting what the Israeli military is doing,” he said.
“They get all our reporting, they have everything we write, and they ignore it.”
Asked why the US government’s policy is such, Casey said he believes one reason is that there is “no concern for Palestinian suffering”.
“We ignore Palestinian suffering. We accept the Israeli government’s story about events, even if we know it’s not true, and we genuinely care about Israel’s interests. We do not pursue our own interests,” he told Al Jazeera.
“And in the end that’s what pushed me out the door.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on Saturday.
