Former official Mike Casey says the US government is putting Israel’s interests ahead of its own.
Mike Casey says he’s never seen anything like it.
Indeed, the former State Department official — who served as deputy policy adviser at the United States Office of Palestinian Affairs — described his experience as a diplomat in Jerusalem as humbling.
“It’s frankly embarrassing … to see how we give in to the demands of the Israeli government and continue to support what the Israeli government is doing even though we know it’s wrong,” Casey told Al Jazeera.
“And I haven’t seen that in any other country that I’ve served in.”
After four years in office, Casey resigned in July over what he described as the US government’s unwavering support for Israel despite its devastating military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
His resignation — first reported by The Guardian newspaper this week — is the latest by a U.S. official angered by President Joe Biden’s strong military and diplomatic support for Israel since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
To date, more than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s continued attacks on the coastal enclave.
The conflict has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, and UN experts and leading human rights groups have accused the Israeli military of committing war crimes, including genocide.
The United States has said it is working to secure a ceasefire and the release of prisoners held in Gaza. It also said it has pushed Israel to minimize civilian casualties in its military operations.
But Biden has refused to use US aid to Israel as leverage to end the war, rejecting calls to halt US arms transfers to the top ally.
That has led to anger and criticism from advocates who have called the outgoing Democratic president “Genocide Joe.”
The United States gives Israel at least $3.8 billion in military aid annually, and researchers at Brown University recently estimated that the Biden administration provided an additional $17.9 billion since the Gaza war began.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Casey said his job in Jerusalem was mainly focused on writing about the situation in Gaza, from humanitarian issues to economic and political issues.
He said the US government is aware of the dire conditions in the territory, including the widespread casualties and the lack of humanitarian aid. “And yet we continue to push this policy and support what the Israeli military is doing there,” he said.
“They receive all our reporting, they have everything we write, and they just ignore it.”
Asked why US government policy is what it is, Casey said he believes part of the reason is that “there is no concern for Palestinian suffering”.
“We ignore Palestinian suffering. We accept the Israeli government’s narrative of events even though we know it’s not true, and we really pursue Israel’s interests. We don’t pursue our own interests,” he told Al Jazeera.
“And that’s what pushed me out the door at the end.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on Saturday.
