Former Biden Officials Urge 2028 Candidates to Reject Gaza Policy

Twelve former United States officials who resigned from President Joe Biden’s administration over his Gaza policy have issued a joint statement, titled “Gaza Resignees,” calling on potential Democratic candidates for the 2028 presidential race to publicly denounce the current policy. These officials served between late 2023 and 2024 and stated their resignations were due to the US government's “illegal and unconditional support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.”

The statement emphasized the need for accountability, asserting that “the most basic level of accountability, the most minimal level of consequences, is to ensure that those who have wreaked so much harm from within the highest levels of our Government cannot return to it.” They specifically urged candidates for the 2028 Presidential Nomination to commit to not hiring any administration official directly responsible for enabling Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

The article notes that numerous rights groups, experts, scholars, and United Nations inquiries have assessed Israel’s war on Gaza as potentially constituting genocide. Palestinian health authorities report that since October 2023, the conflict has resulted in at least 74,564 Palestinian deaths and 175,770 injuries.

The Biden administration has faced significant criticism from progressive lawmakers, including US Representative Rashida Tlaib, and activist groups since the war began. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also opposed the ongoing US support for Israel, a stance that has continued following President Donald Trump's re-election.

Ahead of the 2028 election, the former officials warned that several “architects” of Biden’s Gaza policy are attempting to “whitewash their own roles in enabling genocide.” They stated, “When faced with the opportunity to stand up in defense of our laws, they not only stayed silent, but worked resolutely in pursuit of illegal and wrongful ends in violation of both US and international law,” adding that many of these individuals are now seeking to re-enter policymaking roles.

The statement called for Democratic presidential nominees to pledge three oaths: to uphold the Constitution and pursue US national interests, to acknowledge US complicity in the alleged genocide in Gaza through arms, funding, and diplomatic backing, and to commit to building an administration that prioritizes US interests and excludes individuals who were “an architect, leader, defender, or key enabler” of the US policies of unconditional support to Israel that constitute complicity in genocide.