Former Biden State Dept. Official Tells CNN, ‘Human Rights Violations’ Are Taking Place Against Palestinians Using Arms From U.S.

Former Biden State Department official Josh Paul warned CNN on Monday that “human rights violations” are currently taking place against Palestinians using arms sent by the Biden administration to Israel.

During an appearance on CNN’s The Source, Paul — who resigned in protest from his position as a director at the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs this month — told host Kaitlan Collins:

I’ve worked in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for over 11 years. This is the bureau responsible for arms transfers to partners around the world. I have never seen a circumstance before in which there is a clear risk of civilian casualties resulting from U.S. arms transfers, and in fact, we are seeing that manifesting on the ground with thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties, and yet no questions asked. Not even a debate about whether or not we should provide the arms that are being used to commit those, I believe, human rights violations, but certainly to kill those civilians.

So faced with the massive scope of the crisis that we are seeing in Gaza, the massive scope of civilian casualties, the fact that I also believe that the policy has not led to peace for Israel or or Palestinians — it has been a dead-end policy — but absent the ability to have even a discussion about that before shipping arms, I felt I had to resign.

On the difference between the current situation and previous conflicts where the U.S. had transferred arms to partners, Paul said:

In all of those previous circumstances, there has been extensive debate and discussion within administrations present and past about what we should do. In fact, the first thing the Biden administration did upon coming to office was to suspend two pending arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition. Even under the previous administration, the Trump administration, there were lengthy discussions and debates and steps taken to mitigate some of the worst potential harm of U.S.-provided arms.

That has not been the case in the context of Israel in recent weeks. On the contrary, there has been no debate. There has been a chilling effect within the State Department, I am told by colleagues who remain there, so I think it’s clearly a different case here.

Paul revealed he had heard from many former colleagues within the State Department, including some “very senior” officials, who agree with his concerns and find the current situation “morally challenging.”

He claimed, “When they try to raise their concerns within the system, they’re told they can seek emotional counseling or they can give their portfolio to someone else for a while, but ‘do not ask us about the policy, it is being directed from the top.’ That is what they’re being told, and I think they are finding that extremely difficult.”

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 8,000 Palestinians — including 3,300 children — have been killed during Israel’s bombing campaign this month, which was launched following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack against Israeli civilians.

Watch above via CNN.