[ Every single one of these people is risking their jobs and,
their careers because they know the stakes of this moment. In
November, more than 700 staffers and political appointees signed a
letter calling on the president to support a cease-fire.]
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BIDEN STAFFERS DEMAND CEASE-FIRE AT ‘HISTORIC’ WHITE HOUSE VIGIL
 
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Jake Johnson
December 14, 2023
Common Dreams
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_ Every single one of these people is risking their jobs and, their
careers because they know the stakes of this moment. In November, more
than 700 staffers and political appointees signed a letter calling on
the president to support a cease-fire. _

Biden administration staffers demand a Gaza cease-fire in front of
the White House in Washington, D.C. on December 13, 2023., (Photo:
Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse (AFP) // Common Dreams)

 

Dozens of Biden administration staffers held a vigil outside the White
House late Wednesday calling for a lasting cease-fire in Gaza as the
Palestinian territory's healthcare system collapsed and the U.S.-armed
Israeli military bombed the entirety of the besieged strip
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The staffers donned masks and sunglasses to conceal their identities,
likely out of fear of retaliation from an administration that has
been accused of cracking down on dissent
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President Joe Biden's support for Israel's assault on Gaza.

Josh Paul, a former State Department official who resigned
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October over the administration's weapons transfers to Israel, also
took part in the demonstration and delivered remarks
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behalf of the staffers.

"We were horrified by the brutal October 7 attacks on Israeli
civilians, and have been horrified by the disproportionate response by
the Israeli government, which has indiscriminately killed thousands of
innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza and displaced over a million
more," said Paul. "We have seen refugee camps, hospitals, schools, and
entire neighborhoods bombed. We have seen dead men, women, and
children pulled from the rubble in their pajamas. We have seen
harassment, humiliation, and degradation of many kinds. This is
unacceptable."

"The American people and respected institutions like the United
Nations are pleading for a cease-fire, but this administration has yet
to listen," Paul added. "We demand President Biden and members of the
cabinet to speak up: Call for a permanent cease-fire, a release of all
hostages, and an immediate de-escalation now."

Yonah Lieberman, co-founder of the Jewish American advocacy group
IfNotNow, applauded
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Biden staffers for holding the protest, noting that "every single one
of these people is risking their jobs and, possibly, their careers
because they know the stakes of this moment."

Political analyst Mitchell Plitnick called the demonstration
"historic."

The vigil was the latest display of growing internal outrage over the
Biden administration's unconditional support for the Israeli military,
which has used U.S. weaponry
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commit atrocities in the Gaza Strip. The demonstration came days after
the U.S. vetoed
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Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian
cease-fire, drawing international condemnation.

Earlier this month, more than 40 White House interns sent a letter
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Israel's "genocidal response" to the October 7 attack and imploring
Biden to support a permanent cease-fire.

In November, as _CNN_reported
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"more than 700 staffers and political appointees signed a letter
calling on the president to support a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas
conflict."

"The letter was signed by staffers who work in more than 30
departments and agencies, including the Environmental Protection
Agency, FBI, and NASA," the outlet noted.

_[JAKE JOHNSON is a senior editor and staff writer for Common
Dreams.]_

_Licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to
republish and share widely._
 

* Biden staff
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* White House staff
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* Joe Biden
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* Ceasefire
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* Cease Fire
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* Israel
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* Gaza
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* Palestine
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* Israel-Gaza War
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* U.S.-Israel relations
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* U.S.-Israel military aid
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* Benjamin Netanyahu
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* Hostages
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* Hamas
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