Interns at the White House call for Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire

A group of White House interns wrote a letter to President Joe Biden calling for a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, accusing him of having “ignored” the “pleas of the American people.”

The letter, first obtained by NBC News, is supported by more than 40 interns who work in the White House and other executive branch offices, according to the text.

“We, the undersigned Fall 2023 White House and Executive Office of the President interns, will no longer remain silent on the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people,” the interns wrote.

In response to the Oct. 7 attacks that killed more than 1,200 people, Israel launched a ground invasion of Hamas-ruled Gaza to destroy the terrorist group’s infrastructure. An unnamed IDF official cited by AP said that at least 15,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died since the outbreak of the war, including more than 5,000 Hamas terrorists.

Israel’s Gaza invasion has been criticized by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and sparked pro-Palestinian marches and protests in Washington, D.C., New York City, and at universities. Incidents of antisemitism have increased and there have been attacks directed at Muslims.

The White House interns’ letter states: “We heed the voices of the American people and call on the Administration to demand a permanent ceasefire. We are not the decision makers of today, but we aspire to be the leaders of tomorrow, and we will never forget how the pleas of the American people have been heard and thus far, ignored.” 

The writers declined to sign their names to the letter, instead identifying themselves by offices — including the Executive Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President and the Domestic Policy Council — and as “Palestinian, Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Christian, Black, Asian, Latine, White, and Queer.”

Last month, more than 500 unidentified political appointees and staff members sent Biden a similar letter, reflecting internal dissent over the administration’s support of the war, The New York Times reported.

In recent weeks, Israel paused its offensive to allow for exchanges of prisoners and some of the hostages taken by Hamas and then relaunched its assaults when talks over further releases broke down.

Biden on Tuesday blamed Hamas for the end of the temporary cease-fire, accusing it of using “rape to terrorize women and girls.”

The White House interns wrote: “While the Administration expressed support for the humanitarian pause, we maintain that anything other than a complete halt of Israel’s mass slaughter of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip will simply not suffice.”

President Biden has been reluctant to back a full cease-fire, The Wall Street Journal noted, saying all hostages need to be released first and warning that any extended pause could allow Hamas to regroup and commit more attacks.

Support for Israel’s military campaign has grown more unpopular within the Democrat Party. According to a Gallup poll conducted Nov. 1-21, 63% of Democrats disapprove of Israel’s military actions in Gaza as well as 67% of those younger than 35 and 64% of people of color. Solid majorities of Republicans (71%) approve of Israel’s war in Gaza, Gallup notes.

The White House interns concluded their letter by writing: “We urge the Biden-Harris Administration to call for a permanent ceasefire now, a release of all hostages including Palestinian political prisoners, and to support a diplomatic solution that will put an end to the illegal occupation and the Israeli apartheid, in accordance with international law and for a free Palestine.”