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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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A top U.S. State Department official who served as the deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs resigned from President Joe Biden's administration this week.
In a statement to The Washington Post, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed Andrew Miller's resignation. "Everyone here is sorry to see him go, but we wish him well in his next endeavors," the statement said.
"Andrew brought deep experience and sharp perspective to the table every day."
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The Washington Post noted that Andrew Miller was a "skeptic" of Biden's support for Israel and favored "a sharper break" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department via its website and the White House via email for comment.
The Context
The resignation this week comes amid the war between Israel and Hamas. The Palestinian militant group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking over 200 more hostage. Israel subsequently launched a strike on Gaza that has killed over 34,000 people, the Associated Press reported earlier this month, citing Gaza health officials.
Some have criticized Biden's stance on the war with Republicans calling on him to show more support for Israel and Democrats encouraging the president to call for a ceasefire.
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What We Know
The Washington Post reported that Miller told colleagues within the State Department that he was resigning to spend more time with his family.
Newsweek has been unable to independently verify this reporting.
Miller's resignation this week marks the most senior U.S. official in the Biden administration to leave office since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.
Biden faced criticism last month after the White House withheld weapons intended to be shipped to Israel ahead of a planned offensive operation in the city of Rafah.
"I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah," Biden said during an interview with CNN last month.
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Suzanne Maloney, the director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institute, told The Washington Post that Miller's "departure will be a loss for the administration in general and the State Department in particular."
"It's a telling indicator of the general toll that the conflict has taken on those who have been working to deal with its security implications for the United States and its allies," Maloney said.
What's Next
It is unclear if the White House or Biden will respond directly to the resignation this week.
Update 6/21/24, 1:51 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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