White House silent on reported Biden administration staffers protesting president’s Israel policy
Fox News
The White House is remaining silent after dozens of reported Biden administration staffers protested their boss’s Israel policy on Wednesday, calling for a cease-fire in the Jewish nation’s war against terrorists.
The protesters, wearing masks and sunglasses at night to hide their faces, called for Biden to push for a cease-fire in the war started by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas’ surprise attack on innocent Israelis.
“Ceasefire” was spelled out with lit candles in front of the protesters with a sign behind them reading, “President Biden, your staff demands a ceasefire.”
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The protesters ranged from career Biden administration staffers to political appointees, according to multiple media reports.
The group, Staffers for Ceasefire, told Fox News Digital that “the protest was organized by current Biden administration staffers and the participants were also current staffers from across the administration.”
Fox News Digital asked the Biden White House multiple times whether the president had any comment on his staffers’ reported protest over his foreign policy, whether he knows who the protesters are, and whether the protesters would face disciplinary actions.
The White House did not answer Fox News Digital’s questions.
Former State Department official Josh Paul, who said he had quit his job over the president’s Israel-Hamas war policies, read remarks prepared by the organizers of the protest, he confirmed to Fox News Digital.
“The temporary cease-fire ended 13 days ago, and we have been horrified to see the full resumption of killings, displacement and bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” Paul said, according to reported prepared remarks.
“A temporary pause to this violence was never enough,” he continued. “We must move with urgency to save as many lives as possible and achieve an immediate, permanent cease-fire agreement and the return of all hostages.”
“The American people and respected institutions like the United Nations are pleading for a cease-fire, but this administration has yet to listen. We demand President Biden and members of the Cabinet to speak up: call for a permanent cease-fire, a release of all hostages and an immediate de-escalation now.”
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Typically, presidential administration staffers and appointees do not protest their boss’s policies but rather work to further them, sometimes despite their own personal goals or views.
It is exceedingly rare to see staffers actively and anonymously protest a president’s policies, and even rarer when it involves a close U.S. ally like Israel.
The news comes after Biden warned that Israel is losing global support in its continued war against Hamas, according to the White House press pool.
Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas began after the terrorist group launched an attack on Israeli civilians, infiltrating the country on October 7 and killing more than 1,200 Israelis.
Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed reporting.