Hala Rharrit, State Dept official, resigns over Biden admin's Gaza policy

US State Department's spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa has resigned in protest of America's policy on Gaza, in at least third high-profile resignation from the department.

Hala Rharrit was also the Dubai Regional Media Hub's deputy director and joined the State Department almost two decades ago as a political and human rights officer, the department's website showed.

“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.

A State Department spokesperson, asked about the resignation in Thursday's press briefing, said the department has channels for its workforce to share views when it disagrees with government policies.

Nearly a month earlier, Annelle Sheline of the State Department's human rights bureau announced her resignation, and State Department official Josh Paul resigned in October.

A senior official in the US Education Department, Tariq Habash, who is Palestinian-American, had stepped down in January.

The United States has come under mounting criticism internationally and from human rights groups over its support for ally Israel which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, caused a humanitarian crisis, and stands accused of genocide in Gaza.

There have been reports of signs of dissent in the administration of President Joe Biden as Palestinians death toll continues to soar in the war.

In November, more than 1,000 officials in the US Agency for International Development (USAID), part of the State Department, signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Cables criticising the administration's policy have also been filed with the State Department's internal "dissent channel."

The war has also caused intense discourse and anti-war demonstrations across the United States, Israel's most important ally.

Following the detention of over 100 protesters at Columbia University, students nationwide have rallied for universities to disassociate from entities supporting Israel's military invasion of Gaza, and advocating for solidarity with Palestinians.