A group of former United States officials who resigned from former President Joe Biden’s administration over its stance on Gaza urged potential Democratic candidates for the 2028 presidential race to denounce that policy on Wednesday.
Twelve former government workers who quit their positions between late 2023 and 2024 released a joint statement under the title Gaza Resignees. They stated that they had left government service because of what they termed illegal and unconditional support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The group argued that accountability requires ensuring that individuals who caused harm from within high government levels do not return to power. The statement urged candidates seeking the 2028 presidential nomination to commit to not hiring any administration official directly responsible for enabling Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Several United Nations inquiries, human rights groups, experts and scholars have assessed that Israel’s devastating war on Gaza amounts to genocide. Palestinian health authorities report that the military campaign has killed at least 74,564 Palestinians and injured at least 175,770 since October 2023.
Throughout its term from 2021 to 2024, the Biden administration faced steady condemnation and pushback from progressive lawmakers and activist groups over its military backing of Israel.
US Representative Rashida Tlaib and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have opposed the ongoing support for Israel, which has continued following President Donald Trump’s re-election last year.
The former officials warned that several architects of the previous administration’s Gaza policy were now trying to whitewash their roles in enabling genocide. They called on 2028 Democratic nominees to take three oaths, including acknowledging US complicity in Gaza through arms, funding and diplomatic backing, while creating no space for key enablers of those policies.
