“Pompeo Shames Biden Admin: ‘Moral Compass Broken’ Over Israel-Hamas Dissent Letter

The United States of America is a nation deeply proud of its moral values and the freedoms it offers its citizens. However, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused some in the current Biden administration of breaking these values, speaking out against several high-ranking officials who signed a letter criticizing the US policy toward Israel and Hamas. The dissent letter, signed by over three-dozen State Department officials, including some from the Biden administration, claimed the US stance towards the growing conflict between Israel and Hamas over the past two weeks was not properly addressing the violence and loss of life. The signatories said the US policy “fails to show leadership on the world stage” and “shortchanges both Israelis and Palestinians and American interests.” In response to the dissent letter, Secretary Pompeo spoke during a wedding ceremony in Jerusalem on May 22nd, 2021. While specifically avoiding any direct names, he strongly criticized the authors of the dissent letter, stating “It is shameful that these individuals who signed the letter don’t understand that we have a moral obligation, a diplomatic obligation, a security obligation to support our ally, the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel.” He went on to call the signatories “career bureaucrats” who “have largely misspent their careers massaging their own egos and serving themselves instead of serving America”. Secretary Pompeo further rebuked the dissenters, saying, “If any of these department officials don’t understand why supporting Israel is so important, they should leave the department.” Secretary Pompeo also implied past presidents, along with his predecessor, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, had failed to properly address the violence in the region. He noted that past approaches had “borne little fruit and enabled the Palestinian Authority to stay in power”. The Secretary of State’s rebuke of the dissent letter has drawn a wide range of reactions. Some have lauded his response as a necessary show of strength towards the ongoing conflict in the region, while others have been critical of his condemnation of the signatories. No matter the response, it is clear that the Biden administration, like the ones before it, maintains the US’s commitment to supporting Israel.