The Duty to Dissent: Objections to US Policy on Israel and Palestine
Throughout the past year, several U.S. government officials resigned from their jobs due to serious concerns about current U.S. policy towards the crisis in Gaza, and U.S. policies and practices towards Palestine and Israel more broadly. In July, twelve of these former government officials released a joint statement outlining their reasons for resigning, raising issues of national security as well as moral and ethical concerns.
In this event, four of the signatories to this statement will discuss their decision-making processes, their concerns about current US policy, and what led them to resign. We also invite panelists to reflect on the moral and ethical challenges faced by those engaged in public service. This panel is sponsored by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, the African Studies Program, the Alwaleed Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding, and the Department of Government. This event will be moderated by CCAS adjunct professor Dr. Yousef Munnayer
Speakers:
Lily Greenberg Call is a former Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Department of Interior. She has nearly a decade of experience in politics, movement organizing, and domestic and international human rights work. She worked on President Biden’s 2020 campaign and served in the administration until May 15, 2024, when she became the first Jewish political appointee to resign in protest of US policy in Gaza. Lily grew up doing pro-Israel advocacy with AIPAC and other organizations throughout high school and college, and later became invested in Palestinian rights and Jewish anti-occupation movements. She has appeared as a guest on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, and given commentary for the Washington Post, Politico, and the Associated Press. Lily holds a B.A. in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Harrison Mann is a former U.S. Army major and executive officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Middle East/Africa Regional Center who resigned in protest of his office’s support for Israel during its Gaza campaign. He previously served as a Middle East all-source intelligence analyst and led a crisis cell coordinating intelligence support for Ukraine. Prior to DIA, he worked at the U.S. Embassy Tunis Office of Security Cooperation and led Army Civil Affairs teams combatting regional smuggling under U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) in Bahrain. Harrison began his Army career as an infantry officer. He speaks Arabic and received a B.A. from the College of William & Mary and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Josh Paul resigned from the State Department in October, 2023 due to his disagreement with the Biden Administration’s decision to rush lethal military assistance to Israel in the context of its war on Gaza. He had previously spent over 11 years working as a Director in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which is responsible for U.S. defense diplomacy, security assistance, and arms transfers. He previously worked on security sector reform in both Iraq and the West Bank, with additional roles in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Army Staff, and as a Military Legislative Assistant for a Member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee. Josh grew up between London and New York, and holds Masters degrees from the Universities of Georgetown and St Andrews, Scotland. He is currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and a recipient of the 2023 Callaway Award for Civic Courage.
Alex Smith is a lawyer with a background in global health, development, human rights, and international criminal law. He studied law and public health at Northeastern and Tufts and dedicated 22 years to human rights work, including in Afghanistan, Jordan, Sudan, West Africa, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In May 2024 Alex left USAID after 4 years of service due to the agency’s policies, statements, and silencing of speech about health conditions and war crimes in Gaza.