Blinken acknowledges disagreements within State Department on Israel-Hamas war in email to staff

Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged disagreements within the State Department over the Biden administration’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war in an email to staff Monday.

His message to personnel, sent on the heels of his recent travels, comes amid growing anger and dissent not only from staff at the State Department but within the broader Biden administration. CNN reported last week that hundreds of personnel at the US Agency for International Development signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire, and there are reports of a “dissent memo” inside the State Department.

“I know that for many of you, the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a profound personal toll,” Blinken wrote in his email Monday, which was seen by CNN. “The anguish that comes with seeing the daily images of babies, children, elderly people, women, and other civilians suffering in this crisis is wrenching. I feel it myself.”

As CNN has reported, some of the fiercest backlash has come from inside the State Department, including an official who publicly resigned from the agency last month over the Biden administration’s approach to the conflict. Elsewhere in the administration, officials have quietly fumed as the civilian death toll mounts.

The top US diplomat noted in the message that “some people in the Department may disagree with approaches we are taking or have views on what we can do better.”

“We’ve organized forums in Washington to hear from you, and urged managers and teams to have candid discussions at posts around the world precisely so we can hear your feedback and ideas. I’ve asked our senior leadership to keep doing that,” Blinken wrote.

“We’re listening: what you share is informing our policy and our messages,” he said.

In his email, Blinken provided an overview of his trip to the Middle East…