Ex-State Department Official Reflects on Gaza Crisis, Criticizes U.S. Policy

Mike Casey, a former State Department official who worked as the deputy political counselor on Gaza, recently shared his disillusionment with U.S. policy towards the region. Upon his arrival in Jerusalem in 2020, Casey, an experienced diplomat with a background in military service and international postings, did not expect to witness what he now describes as a systemic failure in U.S. foreign policy.

Having spent over a decade in diplomatic service, Casey came to Gaza with optimism, believing he could make a difference in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But over time, the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and the lack of meaningful action from Washington led him to resign in July after four years in the role. He quietly stepped down, reflecting on the gap between the reports he filed about the dire situation in Gaza and the lack of response to them.

“The more informed you become on this issue, you can’t avoid realizing how bad it is,” Casey said, citing the daily struggle of documenting the deaths of children and the failure to act. “I got so tired of writing about dead kids.”

Casey’s work involved reporting on the humanitarian and political landscape in Gaza, but he grew frustrated with what he saw as bureaucratic resistance to addressing the crisis. Despite his team’s continuous updates, including detailed assessments and proposals for humanitarian aid and political solutions, their reports were often ignored or dismissed. “We would write daily updates on Gaza,” he explained, “and colleagues would joke that you could attach cash to them and still no one would read them.”

The humanitarian conditions in Gaza are dire. According to the latest UN figures, over 45,000 Palestinians have been killed, and 90% of the population has been displaced. The region faces conditions so extreme that experts warn of an impending famine. Despite international legal interventions, including calls from the International Court of Justice to halt military operations, the situation remains unresolved, with humanitarian aid barely preventing complete collapse.

One of Casey’s key frustrations came after the outbreak of conflict following Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel. As the violence escalated, the U.S. government’s response focused on de-escalation and diplomatic engagement with Israel, but Casey and his colleagues were often sidelined. He described the planning meetings that followed the bombing as deeply disheartening, where comprehensive strategies for Gaza’s reconstruction were consistently rejected in favor of Israeli proposals, which included suggestions like empowering local clans to manage Gaza’s affairs.

Casey argued that such ideas were not only impractical but would have exacerbated the crisis. “We wrote numerous reports and cables explaining why this wouldn’t work,” he recalled. “It’s not in our interest to have warlords running Gaza.”

Initially hopeful that the Biden administration would take a more balanced approach, Casey was ultimately disappointed. He pointed to a particularly disheartening moment early in the war when President Biden questioned casualty figures—figures that Casey himself had documented. “What’s the point of me writing this stuff if you’re just going to disregard it?” he asked.

Casey’s departure from the State Department comes at a time when the U.S. policy on Gaza remains highly scrutinized. The Biden administration continues to face criticism for its handling of the conflict, particularly regarding its support for Israeli military actions and its failure to address the humanitarian crisis.