For 18 years she worked in the US government. Then came the war on Gaza | Hala Rharrit | Real Talk

‘I began to feel complicit’ For 18 years, Hala Rharrit worked in the US State Department, most recently becoming its Arabic-language spokesperson. But the Biden administration’s response to Israel’s war on Gaza forced her to resign in April, becoming the first US diplomat to quit in protest over the US’s Gaza policy. In this wide-ranging Real Talk interview, Rharrit reveals what went on behind the scenes, how her Gaza reports were received by US officials, and why she ultimately decided to resign. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:57 ‘I began to feel complicit’ 05:47 I refused to do Gaza interviews 09:33 Sidelined & silenced 18:14 ‘There’s a lot of fear’ 23:50 Sending Gaza reports to US government 27:00 Gaza aid airdrops PR stunt? 29:11 Do you believe the US is complicit? 33:32 US arms industry & Israel-Palestine 35:53 Trump vs Biden on Gaza 39:59 Biden Gaza policy steeped in racism? 47:05 Hala’s Arab-American background 55:05 Time since October Subscribe to our channel: Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: Middle East Eye Website: Follow us on TikTok: @middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Twitter: