More Bad News For US-Israel Ties as Top Diplomat Quits Job

• CrossFireArabia
• June 22, 2024

Israel Should be More Worried About Miller’s Resignation Than Washington – US Official

By Dr Marwan Asmar

The resignation of Andrew Miller from his job as US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs comes as a blow for the Joe Biden administration because it narrows the debate further to one side.  

While he cites family reasons for quitting his post, many say his resignation is a protest of the White House support for Israel in its war on Gaza.

His resignation has been making headways on social media with the first to break the story, the Washington Post, Friday.

One on X writes “his departure underscores internal discontent over US support for Israel” in its war on Gaza.

Another writes his resignation “comes amid growing frustration  over the war’s deep civilian death toll and concerns among some in the administration that influence over policy matters…“dominated by a narrow clique of Biden’s closest advisors.”

He was seen as a critic of the policies of the Biden administration in its “bear hug” approach towards Israel and its way of conducting the war on Gaza.

The Palestine Chronicle writes his resignation “follows the departures of at least eight other Biden administration officials who left in protest of the war in Gaza and the president’s steadfast alignment with the Israeli government.”

Jerry Goode on X says the “US government is falling apart because of the division in the Gaza war/(genocide),” adding officials are resigning left, wright and center” with Miller being the latest top official and senior diplomat “to run away from this mess.”

His name is trending under different tags: #USA #Andrewmiller #Thewashingtonpost #IsraelGazaconflict

Miller was seen on the progressive side of the administration. One US official said Miller pushed for the US to use its leverage over the Israeli government, including the substantial military, economic, political and diplomatic support it provides to Tel Aviv, more effectively, reported Anadolu.

Miller is certainly on the more progressive side of administration officials when it comes to the region, including on Israel-Palestine, but he has also never been a ‘burn it all down and forgo pragmatism’ type,” the official said. “He has always advocated that the United States should support Palestinian rights and statehood, but his advocacy while in government has generally been quiet and measured.”

However, another US official quoted by the Times of Israel the resignation of Miller “should be a wake up call for” Israel. Talking on condition of anonymity, he said if the Netanyahu government is “creating an environment where people like him are resigning, they are clearly doing something very wrong.”  

Miller worked on both Israeli and Palestine sides. He firmly supported a strong US-Israeli relationship but he also believed a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

However, his resignation comes days after a video was made of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu berating the White House for apparently withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel to continue the war on Gaza.

Later on the week and in response to the video, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby  said the allegations that Netanyahu made “were deeply disappointing and certainly vexing to us, given the amount of support that we have and will continue to provide Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

He was backed by the US State Department spokesman, Matt Miller, who said he was not sure what Netanyahu was “talking about or what he was trying to accomplish.”

He pointed out: “…I don’t think it’s productive to engage in an intense public back and forth about this. So we will just let our actions continue to speak for themselves, as they have since Oct. 7.”

He added as stated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, “our commitment to Israel’s security is sacrosanct. We have proved that, not just with words, but with deeds.”

The supply of US weapons has not stopped. It is continuing. However it is the withholding of the shipment of the 2000-pound dumb bombs Netanyahu is upset about. The US has become deeply concerned about their use in densely-populated areas in Rafah and in camps in central Gaza because of their strong kill factor which is deeply devastating.

All these issues have forced Andrew Miller to resign, disillusioned by US President Joe Biden’s refusal to take a harder line on Israel stopping the war in Gaza.