A seasoned U.S. State Department official has resigned in protest of the Biden administration’s decision to supply additional arms to Israel, a move he deems as “shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to our publicly stated values.” Josh Paul, who served as the director of congressional and public affairs for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, expressed his disapproval in a letter shared on LinkedIn.

Paul criticized the administration’s response to the conflict, describing it as an impulsive reaction driven by confirmation bias, political convenience, and bureaucratic inertia. He also expressed his deep concern over the escalating violence in the region, which has resulted in the death of over 3,700 people due to Israeli bombing, according to Gaza health officials.

Paul’s resignation comes as President Biden plans to request Congress for $10bn in mostly military aid for Israel, as reported by the New York Times. During his tenure at the bureau, Paul admitted to making numerous moral compromises and expressed his belief that the continued provision of lethal arms to Israel was no longer justifiable.

Despite meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urging restraint, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. The region, which has been under constant Israeli airstrikes since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, is facing a severe water shortage, with the UN estimating less than three liters of water per person each day for the 2.3 million residents.

Read more at The Guardian.