Former US diplomat calls letter pressing Israel over Gaza aid a 'PR stunt'

Hala Rharrit resigned in protest against President Joe Biden's policies over the war in the enclave

A Palestinian girl collects water at a distribution point in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. AFP

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A letter from the US calling on Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza is a public relations stunt, said a former diplomat who resigned in protest against President Joe Biden's policies over the war in the enclave.

The letter, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and circulated in the media this week, gives Israel 30 days to address humanitarian needs in the besieged enclave or risk cuts to US weapons shipments. Under the Foreign Assistance Act, Washington cannot give security assistance to governments that limit the delivery of US aid.

"The administration does not need another 30 days to make that determination," said Hala Rharrit, who resigned from the State Department in April, after 18 years serving as a diplomat and spokeswoman.

The State Department has received "ample evidence" from US experts that showed breaches were taking place through the supply of American weapons to Israel, she added.

She noted that the November 5 US presidential election, in which Vice President Kamala Harris is running against former president Donald Trump, would take place before the month-long grace period expired.

"The fact that this letter was conveniently leaked, to me, shows that this is an election plot, because it's basically telling those voters who are not wanting to vote for Kamala Harris because of the implications that she has with this conflict, 'just hold out 30 days, and we'll get you something right after the election,'" Ms Rharrit said. "So for me, this, unfortunately, is really nothing but a PR stunt."

Chilling effect

The former US diplomat said she escalated reports of Israeli misconduct in Gaza and was told initially that her information would go to the "highest levels" of government. "It kept me going for a long time, because I did feel like my government was actually going to do something with this information," she added. "I was told it was going to the White House."

But suddenly, things changed.

"After months of no action and things getting worse, and more [weapons] shipments sent and more vetoes [for a ceasefire] at the UN, in January I was personally told, 'OK, your reports are no longer needed,'" she explained.

In May, senior civil-military adviser Stacey Gilbert resigned over a similar issue. She left after the State Department sent a report to Congress in May that said it was reasonable to believe Israel had broken international law in Gaza, but that “provision of defence articles” to the country could continue.

Ms Rharrit said the report involving Ms Gilbert was based on "facts on the ground" verified by US experts. Speaking to The Guardian in May, Ms Gilbert stressed she was among the experts whose names would be removed from the report as it was "edited at a higher level".

"So I did not know what was in the report until it came out,” she said at the time. The report concluded that Israel was not blocking access to humanitarian aid in Gaza. Ms Gilbert said she "could not believe" what she said in the final report.

Ms Rharrit explained that, in her 18 years as a diplomat, she had not seen anything like the "silencing" of officials who sounded the alarm about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. "People are scared to speak out," she added. "It sends an absolute chilling effect across the entire department. It is not in the interest of our country at all to have a State Department that is scared to tell the facts."