Axios obtained a copy of an internal five-page State Department memo accusing President Joe Biden's administration of "spreading misinformation" pertaining to the Israel-Hamas war. Organized by a junior diplomat, the memo accuses Israel of committing "war crimes" in Gaza and encourages senior U.S. officials to advocate for a ceasefire. The outlet reported that 100 State Department and USAID employees signed off on the memo, which did not offer a specific example for the alleged "misinformation" contained within Biden's speech on Oct 10, three days after the "atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th."
"We strongly recommend that the (U.S. government) advocate for the release of hostages by both Hamas and (Israel)," the memo stated, also claiming that "thousands" of Palestinians are being held in Israel. Axios reported that the memo largely hones in on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's counterattack on Hamas in Gaza, which the memo alleges included cutting off all electricity, curbing aid, and carrying out airstrike sieges. "All constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law," the memo states. "Yet we have failed to reassess our posture towards Israel. We doubled down on our unwavering military assistance to the (Israeli government) without clear or actionable redlines."
"Members of the White House and (the National Security Council) displayed a clear disregard for the lives of Palestinians, a documented unwillingness to de-escalate, and, even prior to October 7, a reckless lack of strategic foresight," the memo continued. A State Department spokesperson spoke openly about the department's "dissent channel," which has remained in operation since the Vietnam War. The spokesperson said the department is "proud there is an established procedure for employees to articulate policy disagreements directly to the attention of senior department leaders without fear of retribution. We understand — we expect, we appreciate — that different people working in this department have different beliefs about what United States policy should be." Though dissent memos are meant to remain confined to the building, Axios noted that they are leaked to the media on occasion.
