Hala Rharrit, a former U.S. diplomat, has become a key figure in shedding light on the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding American foreign policy and its role in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Rharrit, who worked with the U.S. State Department for nearly two decades, has spoken out about the challenges she faced in documenting the devastating impact of the war, particularly on Palestinian civilians. Her personal account reveals how the U.S. government's response to her reports highlights a deeper, systemic issue: the complicity of American weapons and foreign aid in the ongoing crisis.
The Gaza Conflict: A Snapshot
The war between Israel and Hamas, which erupted on October 7, 2023, has since spiraled into a major humanitarian crisis. On that day, Hamas militants launched a large-scale attack on Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, many of whom remain unaccounted for or imprisoned. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion into Gaza, resulting in massive casualties, particularly among Palestinian civilians.
As the conflict drags on, the scale of destruction in Gaza has been staggering. According to a recent report in The Lancet, the death toll has likely surpassed 70,000 people, with the overwhelming majority being civilians, many of them women and children. The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by widespread destruction of infrastructure, limited access to medical care and the near-total blockade on Gaza.
Hala Rharrit's Role and Resignation
Hala Rharrit was stationed in Dubai during the onset of the war, where she was tasked with monitoring Arab media and documenting how the U.S. role in the conflict was being perceived in the Middle East. Her position allowed her to closely track the unfolding crisis and she soon began documenting the horrific images coming out of Gaza—particularly those of dead and starving Palestinian children.
Rharrit took the troubling step of including these images in her daily reports to the U.S. State Department, highlighting the devastation caused by American-supplied weapons.
In an interview with CBS’ 60 minutes she explained, "I would show the complicity that was indisputable. Fragments of U.S. bombs next to massacres of—mostly children."
The images were not just graphic; they were damning. For Rharrit, they were a stark reminder of the role the United States played in fueling the violence, given that many of the bombs and missiles used in Israel's military operations were American-made.
However, Rharrit’s reports soon attracted the attention of her superiors. She was instructed to stop including such images in her reports. Later, her reports were deemed unnecessary altogether and she was told to cease producing them. Rharrit resigned from her post in April 2024, citing her inability to reconcile her conscience with the policy of the U.S. government.
A Complicit Role: The U.S. and Its Arms
One of the central themes in Rharrit’s account is the role of U.S. military aid to Israel. As she puts it, "What is happening in Gaza would not be able to happen without U.S. arms. That's without a doubt."
Since the war began in October 2023, the U.S. has provided Israel with an additional $18 billion in military assistance, largely in the form of advanced weaponry, including bombs, missiles, and fighter jets.
This massive flow of military aid has drawn significant criticism, particularly from human rights advocates and those calling for a re-evaluation of U.S. foreign policy in the region. The United States has long been Israel’s staunch ally, but this unwavering support has led to accusations that America is complicit in the destruction of Gaza and the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.
Rharrit's firsthand experience with this dynamic is revealing. She speaks of the "indisputable complicity" between the U.S. government and Israel’s military operations. The images of destruction in Gaza, she argues, are not just a result of conflict but a consequence of a system in which American-made weapons are used to decimate civilian populations.
A Final Push for Ceasefire
As President Joe Biden prepares to leave office, the U.S. is making a final push to secure a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. However, this effort is complicated by the deep political divisions surrounding the conflict. While the Biden administration has called for de-escalation, it has also continued to provide military support to Israel, which has led to accusations of double standards.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D-N.Y.) told The Kicker, “[Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu is an individual who is so divisive internationally [and] has done so much harm. Hostages are not home. Thousands of Palestinians are dead.”
The progressive democrat added, “[Netanyahu] is actively defiant of the U.S. administration.”
Let me know your thoughts below. What do you make of Rharrit’s story?
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