Hala Rharrit was at home on October 7, 2023, when she learned of the Hamas militant group’s attack on Israel. Stationed in Dubai and serving as Arabic Language Spokesperson and Dubai Regional Media Hub Deputy Director for the U.S. Department of State, Rharrit wasn’t surprised an attack had occurred. For some time the Gaza Strip, a small piece of land along the Mediterranean Sea inhabited mainly by Palestinian refugees and their descendants, had been a ticking time bomb. Every few years war broke out in the territory, forcing citizens to flee their homes, shelter in schools, and bury their dead. An extended economic blockade left the vast majority of Gaza’s residents impoverished, struggling to buy food and find affordable housing. Signs of hope remained—people married, had children, started small businesses, and worked to better their lives—but anger and uncertainty were growing. Gaza’s citizens lived in fear of violence or displacement. Parents saw few opportunities for their children. Many found themselves struggling to meet the basic needs of securing food and shelter.

Still, even the most informed were stunned by the brutality and scope of the Hamas attack. Launched from land, sea, and air, the Palestinian militant group’s assault killed more than 1,200 Israeli citizens and resulted in the taking of more than 240 Israeli hostages. Many, including U.S. President Joe Biden, labeled October 7, 2023, the “deadliest [day] for Jews since the Holocaust.” Rharrit’s experience as an American diplomat and peacemaker told her things would escalate, and the following day, for the first time in half a century, Israel declared itself in a state of war and began conducting air strikes on the Gaza Strip. “We knew,” Rharrit said, “there was going to be a forceful reaction, but I don’t think anyone predicted the outcome would be 34,000 killed [and] famine conditions” throughout the Palestinian territories.

Born in Morocco and raised in the United States, Hala Rharrit grew up a member of the global community and never lived with the divisions of race and country that most people experience. She felt embraced by Americans and Arabs alike, and her unique perspective helped her see how misconceptions about other cultures spawned fear toward those who were different. As a diplomat, Rharrit witnessed the power of communication and learned that only by talking could communities learn to understand one another’s grievances, find common ground, and live together in peace. After nearly two decades as an American diplomat in the Middle East, she unwittingly became a spokesperson for both sides, teaching Arabs about American values and helping Americans gain appreciation for Arab cultures.

As the War in Gaza escalated, it fell on Rharrit to communicate the Biden administration’s approach toward the conflict. Before an Arab audience she voiced the U.S. government’s concern for all people in the region and encouraged diplomacy and reconciliation over violence. Her words contrasted sharply with images of massacre and suffering seen by Gaza residents in the streets and on local news. Those living in the occupied territory witnessed children losing limbs, homes being demolished, and lives being destroyed by weapons supplied by the U.S. government. The double standard was obvious to anyone paying attention.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken wanted and needed critical feedback from those in the field, and Rharrit determined to help decisionmakers in Washington better understand the situation’s reality. She and other field operatives made phone calls, wrote memos, sent articles, and posted images showing that the counter-assault had done nothing to achieve stated goals. The hostages were not freed. Hamas had not been held accountable for its actions. Palestinians were being massacred by bombs and starvation. Israeli citizens remained under constant threat of violence and death. Anti-American sentiment grew and placed our own national security interests at risk. The war raged.

Reason had to prevail. All reports from the field supported her findings. She wrote more reports and sent cables documenting her position, urging policymakers to implement a more effective and humanitarian strategy. In return, State Department officials in Washington sent her a combination of thanks, distractions, and silence.

It’s not a secret that politicians in the United States benefit from campaign donations provided by an array of organizations. These groups give to candidates from both parties to ensure whoever ends up in power feels indebted to them. Their influence is often steered toward personal gain and not toward national security. The lack of reason among Washington lawmakers made no sense unless these corrupting forces were at work. Rharrit came to believe that power wielded by special interest and lobbying groups such as arms’ dealers, fortified by institutionalized corruption, were playing a significant role in the decision-making process.

She turned to the legal system, urging Washington to comply with domestic and international law. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies of forced displacement, demolition of civilian infrastructure, dropping of bombs on safe zones, and cutting off of food, water, and sanitation clearly violated domestic statutes that banned our country from supplying weapons to nations perpetuating human rights abuses. The International Court of Justice deemed the Israeli government’s assaults “plausible genocide” and a clear violation of international law. It was in the interest of the United States to abide by the law, even if it placed us in the uncomfortable position of disagreeing with our allies.

Nothing changed. Rharrit became frustrated with having to repeat the same hypocritical message, a message that was inflaming tensions, instigating violence, and prolonging the suffering of both the Palestinian and Israeli people. By April 2024, with the war’s body count at more than 34,000 Palestinians and 1,700 Israelis, it became painfully clear that the Biden Administration deemed a Palestinian life worth less than an Israeli life and was not going to change their militaristic approach. “I could no longer be a part of the State Department and promote this policy,” Rharrit said. “It is an inhumane policy. It is a failed policy that is helping neither Palestinians nor Israelis.” After proudly serving as a U.S. diplomat for more than eighteen years, Hala Rharrit became the first foreign service officer to publicly resign over the War in Gaza.

Her fight to hold the United States accountable to its complicity in the violence continues. “What is happening in Gaza could not be happening without U.S. arms. That’s without a doubt,” Rharrit said in an interview on 60 Minutes. The United States has provided more $18 billion in military assistance to Israel since October 2023. Bomb casings stamped “USA” lie next to the bodies of children killed by air strikes. Anti-American sentiment driven by the War in Gaza is at unprecedented levels and emboldening groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS, who have issued language encouraging attacks on the United States. Rharrit says our actions have put “a target on our backs.”

The situation in the occupied territory has become a tragedy of epic proportions. Sixteen months into the war the death toll in Gaza is estimated to be greater than 70,000. According to Al Jazeera, more than 90 percent of homes and 88 percent of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. The United Nations estimated that rebuilding will cost at least $53 billion and last beyond 2040. The current ceasefire remains tenuous, its continuation mainly dependent on Netanyahu’s willingness to comply as U.S. military assistance is sent with few strings attached and little or no accountability. The Trump Administration has taken things a step further, suggesting the permanent resettlement of all Gaza residents. Throughout all of this, Hala Rharrit continues her quest for peace and diplomacy. She sees it as the only way forward.

-authored by Julie Gronlund