According to AFP, Secretary of State Blinken sent a letter to all US State Department staff on the evening of October 19. In the letter, he mentioned the "challenging" circumstances affecting the US diplomatic corps since the latest conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas force broke out two weeks ago.
US leaders, including President Joe Biden and Mr Blinken, have pledged to back Israel in the conflict, publicly backing the country’s retaliatory strikes against Hamas since October 7, which have killed thousands of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with the press before leaving Cairo (Egypt) on October 15.
At least one State Department official has resigned over the Biden administration’s approach to the conflict. The official, Josh Paul, said on LinkedIn that he was leaving because of “policy disagreements regarding [the US government’s] continued provision of lethal assistance to Israel.”
A source said Mr Blinken's all-staff letter was not a response to reports of frustration within the State Department.
In the letter, Mr. Blinken recounted his recent trip to the Middle East, with stops including Israel and several Arab countries, in which the top US diplomat visited some countries more than once.
"I know that for many of you this is not only a professional challenge but also a personal one," he wrote in the letter seen by AFP.
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Mr Blinken said the US government was saddened by “every innocent life lost in this conflict”.
“That is why President Biden has made clear… that while we fully support Israel’s right to self-defense, the question of how to remain relevant remains important,” he wrote in the letter, referring to the need to respect “the rule of law and international humanitarian standards.”
"Let us also ensure that we maintain and expand the space for debate and dissent to make our policies and institutions better... We have a difficult road ahead. The risk of chaos and greater conflict is real," Mr. Blinken said.
Earlier this week, the Huffington Post reported that some US State Department employees were unhappy with Washington's policy on the Hamas-Israel conflict, with one telling the newspaper that "a rebellion" was underway within the agency.
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