The Biden administration on Friday tapped Mira Resnick, an official deeply involved in weapons transfers to Israel, for a new role shaping policy at the State Department on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to two people familiar with the move.
The decision surprised some foreign policy professionals and was seen as particularly alarming by skeptics of President Joe Biden’s near-total backing of Israel’s devastating ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
Resnick previously worked at the State Department’s Political-Military Affairs bureau, which has approved billions in arms shipments to Israel during the Gaza war despite concerns from lawmakers and human rights groups that Israel is violating U.S. and international law in its use of American weaponry.
“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,” argued Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official who quit the agency in protest over Biden’s approach earlier this year.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment for this story.
As the new deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs in the department’s Middle East office, Resnick is replacing Andrew Miller, an official who left the State Department this summer and was known by fellow U.S. officials to be wary of Biden’s overwhelming support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Miller was known as someone who understood the nuances of the situation and did his best to try to push back on the administration’s determination to facilitate genocide. Whereas DAS Resnick will eagerly support it,” Sheline said.
The Biden administration’s move comes as hopes falter for U.S.-led negotiations seeking a deal between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group that began this episode of fighting with an attack inside Israel that killed hundreds of civilians. The talks are meant to secure a cease-fire, the release of more than 100 hostages held by Hamas (including eight Americans) and a flood of humanitarian aid for Gaza, where the U.S.-backed Israeli offensive has killed more than 40,000 people and fueled mass displacement and hunger.
“[Andrew Miller] did his best to try to push back on the administration’s determination to facilitate genocide. Whereas DAS [Mira] Resnick will eagerly support it.”
- Annelle Sheline, former State Department official
Biden administration officials have repeatedly said they believe the time is ripe for a cease-fire. But they have resisted calls from critics to try to pressure Netanyahu to reach an agreement by suggesting American military support could be in question if the war continues.
The administration’s push for a bargain has intensified as Vice President Kamala Harris has launched her presidential campaign and sought to address deep frustration among some Democrats over Biden’s strategy.
“Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a cease-fire deal done,” Harris said on Thursday night as she accepted the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination. She affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself and her view that conditions for Palestinians in Gaza are “heartbreaking.”
Resnick formerly worked on Capitol Hill.
As the administration has advanced major new weapons shipments for Israel throughout the war, she has helped privately defend those transfers to legislators and congressional aides, according to a person familiar with her work.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.