'Not another senseless war': Over 400 US officials oppose Biden's Israel policy

NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden is facing heat from hundreds of American government officials over his support to Israel in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
According to a report in The New York Times, over 400 staff members and US government appointees have sent a letter to President Biden saying they don't want American forces to be drawn into "another costly and senseless war in the Middle East."
The signatories were obviously referring to US's two-decade war on terror in Afghanistan.The prolonged conflict concluded in 2021 with the Biden administration's decision to withdraw American troops from the region, despite having invested trillions of dollars and falling short of achieving its objectives.
The letter, signed by members representing 40 government agencies, highlights the growing internal dissent faced by the Biden administration over its stand on the Israel-Hamas war.
The letter, which was reviewed by NYT, also calls on Biden to seek an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to push Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the territory.
"We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the letter said.
Notably, some of the signatories had helped Biden get elected in 2020.
They expressed concerns that the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza clashed with Democratic voters’ stance on the issue, the report said.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans support a ceasefire,” the letter said, citing a poll conducted in October which found that 66% of Americans, including 80% of Democrats, wanted to US to push Israel for a ceasefire.
“Furthermore, Americans do not want the US military to be drawn into another costly and senseless war in the Middle East," the letter said.
The report said that the signatories of the letter remained anonymous out of concern for their personal safety and risk of potentially losing their jobs.
Israel launched a ground invasion in Gaza last month in response to lethal attacks by Hamas on October 7, which claimed approximately 1,200 lives, as reported by the Israeli government.
Gaza's health ministry claimed that over 11,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israel's military offensive so far.
The Biden administration has opposed a ceasefire in the region on the grounds that it would spare Hamas and allow it to reconstitute for future attacks.
(With inputs from agencies)