State Department's Middle East spokeswoman resigns in protest of Gaza policy

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - A US State Department's spokeswoman for the Middle East and North Africa resigned Thursday in protest of the Biden administration's policy on the Gaza Strip.

“I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States’ Gaza policy. Diplomacy, not arms. Be a force for peace and unity,” Hala Rharrit wrote in a LinkedIn post, according to Al Arabiya.

Rharrit has worked in various roles at the State Department since 2005, and was a spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa since August 2022, according to her LinkedIn page.

State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said he has seen reports that Asked about Rharrit’s resignation but he is not going to talk about a “personal matter” and refused to “delve into the specifics”.

Noting that there are channels at the State Department where employees can share their views when they disagree with a certain policy, he said the option of dissent channel remains in place.

“Ultimately -- anybody's decision on whether they want to continue to be remain employed somewhere or not -- that is ultimately a decision for them to make,” he said, “That's not anything for us to speak to.”

Rharrit is the third State Department official who resigned publicly since Oct. 7, after Annelle Sheline, a foreign affairs officer in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, announced her resignation last month, and Josh Paul, former director of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, publicly announced his resignation Oct. 19.