The US State Department’s spokeswoman for the Middle East and North Africa, Hala Rharit, has resigned in protest of Washington’s policy regarding the war in the Gaza Strip.
“I resigned in April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in disagreement with the United States’ policy on Gaza. Diplomacy, not weapons. Be a force for peace and unity,” Hala Rharit wrote in a LinkedIn post.
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said he had seen the reports about Rharit’s resignation, but declined to comment on the decision, which was a personal matter.
Rharit, who has served in various capacities at the State Department since 2005, has served as spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa since August 2022.
She is the third State Department official to publicly resign since October 7 in protest at US policy regarding Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Earlier, Anelle Schelain, the foreign affairs officer at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, announced her retirement last month, and Josh Paul, the former director of the Bureau of Military-Political Affairs, publicly resigned on October 19.
Tags: spokeswoman State Department resigned protest policy Gaza
