Senior education official cites Biden's 'blind eye to the atrocities' in Gaza as reason for resignation
A senior Biden education official announced his resignation Wednesday, citing the administration’s failure to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza from Israel’s offensive in its deadly war with Hamas.
WASHINGTON — A senior Biden education official announced his resignation Wednesday, citing the administration’s failure to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza from Israel’s offensive in its deadly war with Hamas.
In a letter Wednesday to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Tariq Habash, a policy advisor in the department's Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, wrote, “I cannot stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives, in what leading human rights experts have called a genocidal campaign by the Israeli government.”
Habash, a Palestinian American, is a political appointee and a student loan and college affordability specialist.
His resignation is the latest sign of unease within the ranks of the Biden administration over the president's handling of a war that broke out Oct. 7 when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on the Jewish state. In November, more than 400 Biden administration officials wrote an open letter calling on Biden to insist on a cease-fire. The letter did not give their names.
Israel’s counter-attack has resulted in more than 21,000 deaths in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities, prompting senior Biden administration officials to press Israel for a more targeted approach to the conflict that spares more civilian lives.
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