Ex-State Dept. Official: No Debate Allowed on Weapons for Israel
Ex-official said there is usually robust discussion in the department for weapon transfers, not in this case
Josh Paul, the long-time U.S. State Department official who resigned last month over the Biden administration’s approach to the Israeli war in Gaza, said in an interview that there is no debate allowed in the department when it comes to providing weapons to Israel.
Paul told Democracy Now that there is usually robust debate for arms transfers. He said there are about 20,000 arms transfers a year from bullets to fighter jets. He said there is usually a lot of thought behind these transfers that consider the pros and cons of the deal and the human rights implications.
“That has not happened in this context for Israel,” he said. He said when he raised his concerns, there “was not appetite for that discussion.”
Paul previously condemned the Hamas attack and called it a “monstrosity of monstrosities.”
Paul had worked for the office that approves arms transfers, said in an earlier interview: “I recognize the Israeli government's right to respond and to defend themselves. I guess I question how many Palestinian children have to die in that process.”
“Oh how fond they are of the book of Esther, which is so beautifully attuned to their bloodthirsty, vengeful, murderous yearning and hope.” — Martin Luther
https://cwspangle.substack.com/p/oh-how-fond-they-are-of-the-book