Jan. 4 (UPI) — An Education Department official who worked beside Secretary Miguel Cardona as a political appointee told the department he was resigning over the Biden administration’s stance in the Israel-Hamas war.
In a letter dated Wednesday to Cardona, shared with news outlets including The Washington Post and NBC News, Education Department Special Assistant Tariq Habash, a Palestinian American, said he believed the administration was not doing enough to curtail Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
“It should go without saying that all violence against innocent people is horrific,” Habash said in his letter. “I mourn each and every loss, Israeli and Palestinian. But I cannot represent an administration that does not value all human life equally. I cannot stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives.”
Habash has worked on student loan issues while in the Education Department for several years. He said as a member of the department, he has seen the effect the war has had, and the administration’s response to it.
“As a higher education expert, it is also impossible to ignore the impact of this conflict across American colleges and universities,” he said. “Jewish, Muslim and Arab students on college campuses have expressed feeling less safe, and we have seen alarming violence across the United States against Palestinians and Muslim Americans who have been shot, stabbed and even hit by cars.”
“The Department of Education must play an active role in supporting institutions as they respond to the needs of students, faculty and staff.”
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 22,313 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7.
Habash in his letter criticized Biden for questioning the death totals from the Hamas-run agency in an October press conference where the president said he was “sure innocents have been killed” but did not have assurance “the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed.”
“The president has publicly questioned the integrity of Palestinian death counts frequently used by our own State Department, the United Nations, and numerous humanitarian non-governmental organizations,” he wrote.
An Education Department spokesperson told NBC News that they wish Habash “the best in his future endeavors.”
Habash’s resignation follows the public resignation of State Department employee Josh Paul who also cited Biden’s support for Israel when he stepped away in October.
In November, more than 400 unnamed Biden administration officials also called on the president to support a cease-fire in an open letter.
