The ceasefire calls are coming from inside the White House
Biden faces blowback for Israel-Hamas war stance from his own administration


It's been nearly two weeks since Hamas militants murdered hundreds of Israelis across southern Israel, before retreating with an estimated two hundred hostages in tow. Israel, caught largely by surprise by the scale and ferocity of Hamas' attack, has in turn spent days bombarding the densely packed Gaza strip ahead of a planned ground invasion that will almost certainly eclipse the thousands already killed by Israel's expansive aerial assault.
Throughout this conflict, President Biden has emphatically backed Israel, vowing that "as long as the United States stands — and we will stand forever — we will not let you ever be alone." Although he has tempered that support with pledges of $100 million in "humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank," and calls for Israel not to be "consumed" by rage, Biden's public commitments to Israel, including a congressional request for $100 billion in emergency armament funds have rankled progressives calling for negotiations to end the violence rather than unilateral backing for one nation over another.
Urging her colleagues to "do everything we can to save lives," Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) this week introduced a resolution demanding an "immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and Palestine," while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) used similar language in a statement highlighting actions "urgently needed to save lives." While congressional disapproval of administration stances is nothing new, the Biden White House is facing congruent pushback from a less expected source, as well: Members of its own administration.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"There's basically a mutiny brewing"
Citing a "disagreement concerning our continued lethal assistance to Israel," longtime State Department official Josh Paul has been the highest profile administration member to come out against the Biden White House's Israel stance, writing in a resignation letter to his colleagues shared on his Linkedin page that "in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms" to Israel he had "reached the end" of his belief that the benefits outweighed the harms of his work managing international arms sales from the U.S. While he'd felt he could affect dubious trades for the better in previous instances, "there’s no questioning on this one," Paul told The Washington Post. "There’s no space for substantive dissent within the system on this one."
Moreover, Paul said, he's not alone at the State Department. Speaking with HuffPost, Paul claimed a number of his former colleagues have come to him saying "we absolutely understand where you’re coming from, we feel similarly and understand."
"There’s basically a mutiny brewing within State at all levels," one Department official told the outlet, adding that Secretary Antony Blinken was largely ignoring the internal strife. To that end, department diplomats are reportedly drafting what's known as a "dissent cable" — a "document criticizing American policy that goes to the agency’s leaders through a protected internal channel" and which have been seen as "consequential statements of serious disagreement at key historical moments."
That sense of serious disagreement has permeated corners of the White House itself, where "some Muslim, Arab and Palestinian Americans who work in the Biden administration are feeling like their grief is not being taken into similar consideration" as their Jewish colleagues, Politico reported. "It’s personally frustrating to me to see Biden go to Israel and give weapons which are basically being used to slaughter Gazans," one Arab American administration official said, describing "a muzzle on any criticism of Israel." Another official pushed back on the assertion that the White House was unresponsive to its internal discord, telling Politico that "a lot of effort was going into making sure the administration’s messaging was inclusive of Jewish, Muslim, Arab and Palestinian Americans."
"The traditional unwavering support for Israel is untenable"
In part, the intra-administration strife may be as much a generational issue as it is an ideological one. "There’s a fairly strong sense among the mid-level officers that the traditional unwavering support for Israel is untenable," a former U.S. ambassador told Vanity Fair, contrasting the pushback to more entrenched attitudes at State. Instead, "this is based more on a generational change, and a more woke set of FSOs" who are "unhappy with current policy just as they’re unhappy with the still-unreformed personnel policies" at the Department.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
France and Indonesia promote a contentious bid for an Israel-Palestine two-state solution
Talking Points Both countries have said a two-state solution is the way to end the Middle East conflict
-
Film reviews: Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, and Final Destination: Bloodlines
Feature Tom Cruise risks life and limb to entertain us, a young girl befriends a destructive alien, and death stalks a family that resets fate's toll.
-
Music reviews: Morgan Wallen and Kali Uchis
Feature "I'm the Problem" and "Sincerely"
-
Elon Musk says he's 'done enough' political spending. What does that really mean?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The world's richest man predicted he'd do 'a lot less' electoral financing moving forward. Has Washington seen the last of the tech titan?
-
'Organ donation is kindness'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'The national appetite has been waning'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
A running list of Trump's conflicts of interest
In Depth A potential Qatari plane is the latest in a series of problematic connections
-
Democrats grapple with Biden cover-up fallout ahead of 2028
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Even before his cancer diagnosis, Dems have been grappling with whether the White House's alleged effort to hide Biden's failing health is worth relitigating
-
The horse racing industry is caught up in the migrant debate
Under the Radar At least 78% of the workers on race tracks are reportedly immigrants
-
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
speed read The diagnosis hits close to home, as the former president 'dedicated much of his later career to cancer research'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group