Ex-Biden administration staffers who resigned over Gaza launch PAC

Two former officials who resigned from the Biden administration in protest over U.S. support for Israel have announced the creation of a political action committee focused on supporting candidates based on policy positions toward the Middle East.

A New Policy PAC is a policy and lobbying organization and political action committee centered on U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestine. The former officials say it will be focused on protecting open debate in the U.S. on this topic and enforcing American law as it relates to Israel.  

“We recognize that the problem we face is going to be one that endures through this election … and we didn’t want it to be thought that we were launching in response to a Trump victory or in response to a Harris victory,” Josh Paul, co-founder of the organization and PAC, said in a call with The Hill.  

Paul was one of the first Biden administration officials to publicly resign in opposition to U.S. weapons deliveries to Israel as it launched its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the armed group’s Oct. 7 attack against the country. 

He launched the initiative with Tariq Habash, a political appointee in the Biden administration who resigned in protest in January from his position as a policy adviser in the Department of Education’s Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. 

“American voters are clear: they do not want to be complicit in this humanitarian catastrophe and a majority want an end to the transfer of lethal weapons that are used to kill Palestinian civilians. Elected officials have not kept up with the sea change in public opinion and A New Policy will work to close this gap,” he said in a statement announcing the organization’s launch. 

The launch of the initiative ahead of the November election speaks to criticisms against both the Biden administration and lawmakers in both parties who support the continued delivery of U.S. weapons to Israel despite concerns about whether that country is violating international humanitarian law. 

Paul did not provide details on what races the PAC would be involved in but said its operations will focus on the federal level. He said the PAC wants to send the signal to voters and candidates who prioritize changing U.S. policy toward Israel that there is an organization solely focused on doing so. 

“I think there are a lot of voters right now across America who are really finding this a very difficult election and not being presented with easy choices, particularly about Israel-Palestine policy,” Paul said. 

“There is more to democracy than one day in the ballot box. Democracy requires constant engagement, civic engagement, and really pushing on all fronts, and that is what we are going to be doing for the long term.”

Paul said the group will have four main policy positions: to preserve a debate about U.S. policy toward Israel; to support Palestinian self-determination; to end U.S. support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank; and to use U.S. leverage “for a just and lasting peace.” 

Paul said that the group does not take a position on a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The U.S. government through multiple administrations has endorsed a two-state solution that would include a secure Israel next to a sovereign Palestinian state. 

“I think ultimately, the questions of Palestinian governance again, like the question of self-determination, are questions for the Palestinian people,” Paul said.

“But I think if the U.S. is going to have a helpful role here — we used to talk about the United States as an honest broker, I think it is very hard to see us in that role at this point, but then we need to take an even-handed approach that is respectful of the desires of the Palestinian people.”