I resigned from the State Department because America’s unconditional support for Israel’s war in Gaza made protecting civilians & upholding humanitarian law impossible.
@VP
Harris must make it clear she won’t bankroll more Israeli aggression in the region
.
@VP
has been clear: she will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. She does not support an arms embargo on Israel. She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.
The fact that China brokered the deal is significant
It shows the role that China could play in fostering a Middle East defined more by cooperation and trade and less by conflict and weapons sales, as has been the norm under US dominance
1/
This morning I refused to enlist in the Israeli army. Conscription is a political choice, joining the army of occupation, oppression & killing is a crime. Currently on my way to the military prison, I will not be available for the next few months
@itamar_green
refuses IDF draft
סירבתי הבוקר להתגייס לצבא הישראלי.
גיוס היא בחירה פוליטית, הצטרפות לצבא כיבוש דיכוי והרג זה פשע.
כרגע בדרך לכלא הצבאי, לא אהיה זמין בחודשים הקרובים.
✌️🤍
Experts inside State warned that unconditional support for Israel was morally bankrupt & directly contradicted US interests in the region.
Yet we and our colleagues were silenced.
Now the US is on the brink of war.
With Hala Rharrit for
@ForeignPolicy
Administrator
@PowerUSAID
,
Thank you for using your platform to draw attention to Israel's war crimes
You know that "raising w/ the Israeli Govt" does not work. We have "raised this" for 10 mos
This is the "Problem from Hell"
This is genocide
Your hypocrisy is astonishing
Heart wrenching to see reports of Palestinian civilian casualties in another IDF strike on a school & shelter in Gaza. Even while Hamas cowardly hides behind schools, civilians must be protected. We continue to raise w/the Israeli Govt to do far more to prevent civilian deaths.
Upward of 20 American doctors are trapped at the European Hospital in Gaza, facing extreme dehydration, at least one is on an IV drip. This is a developing situation…
Story with
@Hind_Gaza
It's wild that Iran is expected to accept Israeli bombings as a "clever" means of achieving a ceasefire for Palestinians
Why is it Iran's responsibility to obtain a ceasefire when the US refuses to use our leverage to force Israel to stop dropping bombs?
Senior Middle East official tells me that Iran has 'played its cards cleverly and created an opening for a Gaza ceasefire.'
IMO, tho, that opening will be for naught if Biden doesn't force Israel to agree to the ceasefire proposal that Biden claims is Israel's own proposal...
"If Harris & the Dems want to win, they need to convince Biden to tell Netanyahu that the US will not fight this war for him
And to put all security assistance on hold until the prime minister agrees to a full ceasefire in Gaza."
My latest,
@newrepublic
A former high-ranking IDF officer [said] Israeli forces could have made as much progress as they have in Gaza with one-tenth the destruction.
Their conduct “reflects an absolute assumption that the US will continue to arm and finance it.”
@stephensemler
Thank you,
@VP
, for respecting those voices.
Yes, let's get a ceasefire deal done.
Doing that will require using US leverage, i.e. withholding weapons.
VP: Which includes respecting the voices that I think that we are hearing from. Let me just say this on topic of what I think I am hearing over there. Let me say, I have been clear -- now is the time to get a cease-fire deal and get the deal done.
Biden's statement that "We are the most admired country in the world" reflects his absolute lack of awareness of how his unconditional support for Israel's military operations in Gaza is completely destroying how the rest of the world views America.
#PresidentialDebate2024
In my first piece for
@ForeignPolicy
, I argue that despite the smooth process by which Haitham bin Tariq became sultan, Oman remains vulnerable to the expansionist agendas of the UAE and Saudi Arabia
The other resignees & I issued a statement calling for a new policy
"This failed policy has not achieved its stated objectives—it has not made Israelis any safer, it has emboldened extremists.. while it has been devastating for the Palestinian people"
1
.
@krystalball
&
@esaagar
asked me
Why do Biden officials continue to lie in order to perpetuate US support for Israel's genocide?
Hannah Arendt, in explaining the behavior of Nazi soldiers, called it "the banality of evil"
They're just following orders
China is offering an alternative vision for the region
To compete, the US should work on promoting peace & prosperity for the people, not just weapons sales & security assistance for autocrats & their militaries
5/
Biden lied that the only one who wants the war to continue is Hamas
Netanyahu's interests are best served by continuing Israel's horrific violence
If Biden actually used US leverage for a ceasefire, Bibi could lose power & face prison for corruption
#Presidentialdebate2024
The story that the Iranian regime was planning to kill the US ambassador to South Africa was a lie.
It was intended to prep the American public for war with Iran.
Following
@politico
’s story, South African officials say they have now spoken w/ US counterparts on the claim that
#Iran
wanted to assasinate the Amercian Amb. in SA. They say the intel US side shared “is not sufficient to sustain the allegation that there is a credible threat”
Biden reportedly asked Israel for permission to provide Ukraine with air defense systems & Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production
Both refused, leaving the US with few options as invasion began
Fmr
@QuincyInst
intern
@matthew_petti
for
@RStatecraft
Weapons sales and the increasing likelihood of war with Iran
= Outcome of US policies 🇺🇲
Reduced tensions and the possibility of peace in places like war ravaged Yemen
= Outcome of Chinese policies 🇨🇳
4/
I'm pleased to announce my affiliation with the
@ArabCenterWDC
as a non-resident fellow.
I have long admired the valuable analysis produced by their scholars and am honored to now count myself among them.
I argue in
@newrepublic
that Bibi's best chance to stay out of jail is a war with Hezbollah & even Iran, which would drag in the US
Bibi's interests are served by death, including the deaths of Israeli civilians
& Congress invited him to speak next week
"The sort of massive state-led economic intervention many hoped to see for climate and infrastructure only happened for the arms industry."
@stephensemler
"The difference between MBS and Putin is that MBS has already murdered a quarter million people, mostly Yemeni children..
Putin is just getting started."
@BrookingsFP
's Bruce Riedel reacts to my recent piece with
@JabriMD
(quoted with Bruce's permission)
"The Biden admin asserts that the US aims to end the war in Yemen, but its statements & actions suggest that the priority is to secure victory for the Saudi-led coalition, or at least to avoid a humiliating defeat."
My latest brief for
@QuincyInst
1/
Centcom chief McKenzie says the US will target Houthi drones before they can launch
Meaning the US is going to actively bomb Yemen, rather than merely selling the bombs to the Saudis & UAE
This would be a huge escalation of US violence directed at Yemen
If passed, this bill would make forever wars impossible
AND
It would require active Congressional approval of weapons sales (currently, they're approved unless Congress votes against them)
Thanks to
@ChrisMurphyCT
,
@SenMikeLee
&
@SenSanders
& many more
Many thanks to
@atrupar
for this excellent thread on the Jan 6 Select Committee, with horrifying testimony from the Capitol Police officers who tried to fight back against the assault on the Capitol
Democracy is fragile
"If those responsible are not held accountable, and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic, undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy system." -- Liz Cheney
“To know as I’m standing in front of a patient, pulling shrapnel from my patient’s body, that my tax dollars have paid for this.”
@sarahlazare
@thenation
There's a jarring contrast between the pageantry of the DNC main stage, and the somberness and urgency of those begging Dems, particularly presidential nominee Harris, to reverse their lockstep arming of Israel’s relentless killing campaign. My latest.
@ChrisMurphyCT
currently speaking on the floor of the Senate, calling for colleagues to support disapproval of the sale of $23 billion arms sale to the UAE for two reasons:
1. Congressional prerogative
2. US national security
Veteran State Dept official Stacy Gilbert quit because Biden is making a “patently, demonstrably, quantifiably false” claim that Israel is not blocking aid for Gaza in order to justify continued military support
Her 1st interview,
@AkbarSAhmed
exclusive
"The top editor overseeing standards at
@WSJ
privately made an admission:
The paper didn’t know — and still doesn’t know —whether the allegation, based on Israeli intelligence reports, was true."
This has cost people their lives.
@maxwelltani
@semafor
At the same time, the Saudis have signaled to the US that they want a firm security guarantee before normalizing relations with Israel, an outcome that would provoke Tehran.
The Saudis are playing US interests in countering Iran against Chinese interests in reducing tensions
2/
“Assigning [Resnick] ... reflects a doubling down on the administration’s determination to continue to provide unconditional material support for Israel’s genocidal campaign against civilians in Gaza,” as I told
@AkbarSAhmed
for
@HuffPost
"While the Saudi ceasefire -- which followed the Houthi ceasefire -- is encouraging, we shouldn't take it too seriously unless the Saudis lift their blockade, which is preventing food & fuel from entering Yemen"
I explained on
@AJEnglish
last night
1/
Thanks to
@RisingTheHill
for having me on to talk about Biden's failed policy on
#Gaza
& to
@robbysoave
for helping me make the point that Israel's stated military objective of "eliminating Hamas" is not in fact served by intentionally starving children
The Biden administration just approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel – these weapons will kill children in Gaza.
US Congress can block these sales – but they’re on recess, and for 10 months have failed to take action to stop arming Israel.
#NoRecessForGaza
#NotAnotherBomb
The Saudis may have agreed to normalize with Iran for now, as it serves their current interests, but also to see if the US will move forward with a security guarantee in order to counter Chinese influence
3/
There is an extraordinary risk that the U.S. will be boxed into a regional war for Israel — this would not only produce needless destruction & death, including of U.S. troops — but would likely cost Harris the presidency.
My latest,
@RStatecraft
As I told
@AJEnglish
"Younger generations [of Americans] are no longer willing to uncritically support all of the violence that the Israeli military and government are committing.
My hope is that there is a generational change afoot."
1st piece for
@politico
I argue that the deal provides publicity, but lacks substance. This “breakthrough” is mostly a PR boost for the three leaders. Meanwhile, the costs will be borne by the one party not involved in the arrangement, the Palestinians.
My latest, for
@ForeignPolicy
, on Yemen
"Imposing maximalist demands on the victors is futile: They will simply continue fighting...
Unless Biden pushes for a new UN Security Council resolution, the US is upholding conditions that perpetuate conflict."
@QuincyInst
colleague
@matthew_petti
for
@RStatecraft
on the vote to repeal the 2002 AUMF
@RepThomasMassie
:
“It’s time for us to leave. We owe it to our soldiers... They signed up to protect our country. They didn’t sign up to be the world’s policemen.”
"We have created an entire enterprise that focuses economically on creating crisis to justify outrageously high defense spending"
Former Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller
o
The al-Amaliqa ("Giants") Brigades, the UAE-backed Yemeni militia that made territorial gains in recent weeks, announced they're pulling back
It seems the Houthi attacks on Abu Dhabi convinced MBZ that their advance wasn't worth risking the UAE's security
Wow.
@stlouisfed
published the graph on the left with two different Y axes to make it look as if China's defense spending outpaced the U.S.
The graph on the right shows how the spending actually compares, with U.S. defense spending dwarfing all others
In my 1st big paper for the
@QuincyInst
, my coauthors Paul Pillar, Andrew Bacevich,
@tparsi
& I argue that as long as the US continues to pursue military hegemony in the Middle East, the region will remain violent, unstable & rife with human rights abuse
This is terrible news for Yemen
The Saudi-led blockade has already resulted in mass starvation
80% of the population live under Houthi control.
The designation will prevent aid organizations from delivering desperately needed food.
These orgs can't risk...
In my 1st piece for
@thenation
, I argue that the coronavirus reveals the failure of U.S. sanctions policy, which tries to target one country in an increasingly interconnected world.
Ending this pandemic requires global cooperation.
#SanctionsAreACrime
The presence of US troops empowers the careless aggression that makes Israelis demonstrably less safe.
Americans will be sacrificed to the whims of a foreign politician because our leaders lacked the courage to stand up to him.
Harrison Mann
@guardian
@QuincyInst
@matthew_petti
@RStatecraft
@brett_mcgurk
views these partnerships as a 'unique comparative advantage.' But amid the worst US-Russian confrontation since the Cold War, US partners in the MidEast have supported Russia or remained neutral
So why does the US continue to support them in places like Yemen?
Resignee Harrison Mann
@NYMag
"I started out feeling crazy because I was like, Wow, am I the only one who cares about what’s going on?
Now I feel crazy [because] it turns out tons of people feel this way, but they’re all making this war happen anyway."
Scoop: Iran-backed militias attacked a secret CIA hangar in Iraq this spring in a drone strike. The sophistication of the drone assault alarmed the WH: some pushed for a military response, others urged restraint. From
@leloveluck
& me 1/
Horrific flooding continues in Yemen.
The video shows the provisional capital, the coastal city of Aden, which will increasingly deal with sea level rise, in addition to worsening storms.
When Dave Keene, former president of the
@NRA
and head of the American Conservative Union argues in the
@WashTimes
against police violence, you know it's time to
#DemilitarizeThePolice
"Saudi coalition air raids have increased significantly: 400+ in Jan, the most sustained heavy bombing in years
A war Biden promised to end is a war whose escalation he has materially abetted"
Ever eloquent,
@attackerman
cites my brief for
@QuincyInst
"While the Biden admin deliberates on how to get Putin to end his devastating war on Ukraine, the US gov can act now to end its role in the carnage in Yemen"
@QuincyInst
colleague
@WilliamHartung
& I in
@starsandstripes
on 7 years of US complicity in Yemen
U.S. sanctions are blocking disaster relief for Syrians
The U.S. should suspend or lift broad sanctions so that aid agencies & regional governments can provide desperately needed aid, machinery & support for reconstruction
@DanielLarison
@RStatecraft
Thanks
@SamSeder
&
@EmmaVigeland
for having me on
@majorityfm
today to speak about Yemen, why the Biden administration is still helping the Saudis, and what it should do instead
"Over a third of voters in three swing states say they are more likely to vote for the Democratic nominee if they pledge to withhold weapons to Israel, while only 5 to 7% said they would be less likely to do so.
So what is Harris waiting for?"
@mehdirhasan
@guardianopinion
My latest for the
@QuincyInst
:
The Saudi-led coalition & the Houthis maintain a de facto truce
However, should the Saudis choose to begin dropping bombs again, they would do so with US assistance
The US should use the lull in fighting to withdraw
1/
"Two-thirds of the Saudi Air Force is US-made: the planes cannot fly without US military contractors [overseen & authorized by the US Department of Defense] providing maintenance & spare parts.
The Biden admin could cancel those military contracts"
3/
"All parties to the war in Yemen [the Houthis, the STC, etc] have engaged in atrocities.
But the scale of the devastation -- 400K dead, 16 million people starving -- is largely the result of the Saudi blockade on fuel imports & Saudi airstrikes on civilian infrastructure."
1/
“The American tradition of zealous representation of unpopular clients is at least as old as John Adams’ representation of British soldiers charged in the Boston massacre"
@benjaminwittes
,
@lawfareblog
Judge Jackson is upholding a crucial aspect of US law
@JabriMD
& me for
@ForeignPolicy
on why MBS is siding with Russia over Ukraine, not the US
"Putin kept Syria’s Assad in power even at the cost of massive civilian casualties. MBS hopes the Kremlin would do the same for him"
Autocrats gotta stick together
"In the battle btw democracy & autocracy, democracies are rising to the moment & the world is clearly choosing the side of peace & security"
@POTUS
, if you are committed to democracy & peace, why do you continue to arm the Saudis & Emiratis to fight their horrific war on Yemen?
After mostly pulling out of Yemen in 2019, the UAE has managed to avoid the bad PR of waging a war on an impoverished & desperate population
But they never really left
Now they are using Yemen's weakness to build military outlets on Yemeni territory
Netanyahu is launching a conflict that will likely drag in the US.
Biden will have only himself to blame if his final months in office, and his party’s electoral chances, are consumed by yet another war in the Middle East.
w/
@AdamNoahWho
for
@thenation
In a significant escalation of US involvement in the broader Yemen conflict,
@SecDef
Austin announces he is sending additional fighter planes as well as a Destroyer to the UAE to help protect against Houthi missiles & drones
1/
I spoke with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince
@MohamedBinZayed
of the UAE to condemn recent Houthi attacks. To support the UAE against these threats, I will deploy 5th Gen Fighters to the region and send the USS Cole to conduct a joint patrol with the UAE Navy and a port call to Abu Dhabi.
By killing Ismail Haniyeh, Netanyahu has not only killed the ceasefire negotiations, he has yet again given a middle finger to the Biden admin, which has been advocating for* a ceasefire for months
*Without using actual leverage, i.e. withholding weapons as required by US law
NEW for
@RStatecraft
The Saudis' Yemen ceasefire proposal offered almost nothing new to the Houthis & therefore appears primarily aimed at the US, rather actually intended to end the violence
If the US & Saudis are serious, they must lift the blockade
@ForeignPolicy
The belated naming of low-ranking U.S. officials to attend the official ceremony honoring Sultan Qaboos was widely interpreted as a slight against the Omanis (the UK sent Prince Charles and Boris Johnson).
Such fantastic news, following the Houthis' unilateral ceasefire declaration over the weekend
Ramadan begins in a few days: we'll see if the ceasefire can last and lead to good faith negotiations
إن شاء الله
"In Yemen, Biden displays the same flawed logic that kept the US mired in Afghanistan for 20 years
Biden must show the same strength that he demonstrated in Afghanistan & end US support for MBS’s devastation of Yemen"
My 1st in
@newrepublic
with
@tparsi
My latest, for
@POLITICO
, on the release of the Khashoggi report.
Biden must fundamentally alter the US-Saudi relationship. End arms sales. But support efforts to diversify economically
Of the 7 countries surveyed, 4 are NATO allies
The US also has a collective defense arrangement with New Zealand (surveyed)
Austria and Sweden don't have a formal alliance, but are generally seen as friends of the US
= US behavior is alienating allies and partners
For 7 countries surveyed ( 🇮🇹 🇫🇷 🇸🇪 🇬🇧 🇳🇿 🇩🇪 🇦🇹), the United States is a more “worrying” international actor than China or Russia (70% for US, 63% for China).
So many have been saying for months that Bibi's goal is a regional war
As I wrote for
@newrepublic
, Bibi's goal is regional war
As he made clear in his horrifying speech to Congress, Bibi's goal is regional war
And he's going to drag the US into it
This is a lie.
The UAE pledged $0 aid to Yemen in 2020.
The UN humanitarian office called out the UAE:
“who have a particular responsibility, which they have discharged in recent years, have so far given nothing to this year’s U.N. plan.”
Second, on Yemen, Senator Murphy is aware that the UAE ended its military involvement in Yemen in October of last year. We are eager to see the war end, are supporting initiatives to restart a political process & continue to provide massive humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people.
The last four American presidents have all at various times faced pressure from Israel to attack Iran.
Netanyahu has for two decades sought to get the U.S. to go to war with Iran.
He may finally get what he wants.
@tparsi
for
@TIME
"The 2020 platform included a section on ending forever wars & the lessons that should be learned from decades of misguided military interventions & the need for informed consent to war from the American public... That has been completely removed in the 2024 platform."
I got an email invite to a manel
@Dr_Ulrichsen
was one of the panelists
I wrote him a note pointing out his panel was all men
Immediate reply: "I should have checked. I will have to pull out."
2 mins later: "I asked the org to give my spot to a woman"
#HeForShe
🔥♀️🎉🙏🎇
@ForeignPolicy
Many thanks to
@ForeignPolicy
's art team for the great map, which helps to visualize the areas where the UAE in particular is looking to expand its territorial control in order to escape pressure from Iran. This agenda could include taking control of the Musandam Peninsula
@QuincyInst
The Saudis & UAE possess billions of $$ in offensive weapons that they use daily on Yemen.
Only selling “defensive” weapons now is like giving the Saudis & UAE a shield so they can use the sword we already sold them without worrying about the consequences of their aggression.
2
Since I posted this yesterday, Israel
- Assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Hanieh in Tehran
- Assassinated senior IRGC official Hajj Habib Zadeh in Damascus (not yet confirmed)
Bibi is kicking off a regional war
So many have been saying for months that Bibi's goal is a regional war
As I wrote for
@newrepublic
, Bibi's goal is regional war
As he made clear in his horrifying speech to Congress, Bibi's goal is regional war
And he's going to drag the US into it
@JessReports
"If you returned from maternity leave and were fired soon after, you may have a claim for wrongful termination. If you used the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for your maternity leave, you may file a lawsuit in federal court against your employer."
.
Israeli law scholar Eugene Kontorovich (who teaches in the US) just told the National Conservatism conference that Israel's war in Gaza is "clearly the most restrained war in modern times, with the lowest proportion of civilian casualties of any war in modern times."
FBI quietly releases report proving Saudi spy Omar al Bayoumi assisted 9/11 hijackers
Bayoumi worked w/ Prince Bandar, Saudi ambassador to the US
Bandar's daughter, Princess Reema, is the current Saudi ambassador
Kudos to
@northjersey
for this story
FANTASTIC news🔥
On the 7th anniversary of the Saudi war on Yemen
@SenSanders
&
@RoKhanna
announce they will join
@RepPeterDeFazio
&
@RepJayapal
in introducing a War Powers Resolution to end US complicity in the war
Ask your member of Congress to join too
If you're a Congressional staffer or a member of the media, register for this alternative to listening to
#NetanyahuWarCriminal
demand yet more 💰 and 💣 to kill Palestinians
Wed July 24
1:45 - 3pm
Cannon House Office
#210
@MidEastDC
Wednesday, July 17, 12 PM EST: Hear from eight ex-U.S. officials who resigned over U.S. policy in Gaza. Join us online for "Voices of Conscience: Former Government Officials Discuss Failures of U.S. Policy in Gaza War."
Click here to register: