The elite impunity should not defend those who covered war crimes.
Matthew Miller, who held the post -secretary of the State Department at Joe Biden, confirmed his most violent critics. On June 24, 2024, when Miller approached his car, the pro-Palestinian participants shouted: “Matthew Miller, you are a liar!” Miller was a lightning bolt for public condemnation because he, along with other press secretaries, was a public face defense of the Baden Israel administration against charges of war crimes. Over the last 16 months, Biden Miller’s administration asked about the report that Israel had committed war crimes. His The standard answer There was something that Biden’s administration was seriously perceived by war crimes and evaluated evidence in ‘heavy“The situation and, when sufficient evidence appeared, he is ready to confirm that war crimes were committed, but he was not yet ready to do this statement. In April 2024, Miller – Note“It was very clear to us that we wanted Israel to do our best to minimize civilian victims. We made it clear that … they should always work in full implementation of international humanitarian legislation.”
What Miller made a particularly yellow character was, a sophisticated smile he had, when he, on the contrary, suggested that journalists and human rights organizations sought a court decision. Once in November 2024 Miller Actually laughed As a reporter, he asked about hunger in Gaza.
But now that he no longer works in the White House, Miller sings another tune. In an interview with Sky News released last Friday, Miller – Note“I think this is undoubtedly true that Israel has committed war crimes.” Miller added that Israeli soldiers are not responsible for their actions.
Asking to catch the contradiction between what he said in the podium, addressing the journalists and what he says now, Miller replied, “Look, one of the things about being a press -secretary is not a secretary -secretary.
Miller’s defense is inappropriate and morally offensive. Although the administration inevitably has differences, there is a threshold of activity that calls not only for private differences but also for public protest. The authenticity of war crimes is definitely in line with this threshold. In 1974 Gerald Terhorst fell As a press secretary Gerald Ford because he could not properly protect Richard Nixon’s pardon. According to any moral criteria, Nixon’s pardon, as dangerous as democratic norms, was a less offense than the American involvement and the whitewash of Israeli war crimes that led to the deaths of tens of thousands (and possibly hundreds of thousands).
Resignation is the only ethical option if the government you submit is involved in war crimes. In May 2024, Steis Gilbert, an official of the State Career Department with a 20 -year service, resigned from a government report. Gilbert contributed to the report and considered that the facts were not clearly reflected. Also, Gilbert was not in the position. At least 13 other government officials has resigned over gas– And in November 2023, more than 1000 officials signed a letter calling for ceasefire. Public protest, albeit a career, was always an option. This was the way that Miller decided not to go down.
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Saying with Democracy now!Guilbert – Note“This is not the opinion of experts on the State Department, in USAID, nor among the humanitarian community. And it was known. It was absolutely known to the administration for a very long time.”
One way to determine the difference between Gilbert and Miller is that Gilbert realized that he was working for the American people, and Miller mistakenly thought he was working at Baden’s White House. But not Biden paid Miller’s salary; It was the public. When Miller genuinely believed that Israel was committing war crimes – and that Biden’s administration intentionally covered it – he was obliged to resign and tell the truth to the society.
Miller essentially states that it is acceptable to participate in war crimes if you just obey orders – en restless echo About self -defense, made guilty of Nazi atrocities.
Miller continues to justify the decision of the Biden administration to give Israel Blanch cards. According to Miller, if the White House Biden acted to end the Israeli war crimes, he would have conveyed the victory of Hamas:
And it was clear to us in that period that there was a time out Countries to recognise Agree to a ceasefire, they just needed to Hold Out for a Little a little longer and they could get what they always wanted.
It’s hard to find out what to do with this rationalization. If protests and recognition of Palestinian statehood were “appropriate”, then why Biden administration Mazak protesters and object to the declaration of statehood? What is more important, it makes no sense to say that the cessation of Israeli war crimes will lead to Hamas’s political victory, since the confrontation between the Baden administration (and the official policy, although rarely acted, the US governments returning to the creation of a liberal international order in 1945). Miller’s lie about gas was part of the endemic culture of deception and refusal of Baden’s personal responsibility. They are associated with the catastrophic cover of Biden’s flexibility. Miller says that if he was a private citizen, he again opposed Biden’s run, but if someone who works in the corridors of power had to be silent.
According to Miller, “this is a problem of collective action, if no one wants to be the first to speak and spoke alone. You get up and cut off your head, stand together, you can take action.” On this occasion, those who have power are more restrained, telling the truth than ordinary citizens. If so, why should we perceive Miller seriously on anything? In an interview, he also says that contrary to the assessment of many human rights groups, he does not believe that Israel’s war is a genocide. But if he lied earlier for political reasons, there is no reason to trust him now.
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The American political system has long acted under the mafia code silence and impunity. Consider all the political figures who did not suffer the real loss of the social status of the catastrophic lie about the war and peace: Robert McNamara, Henry Kissinger, Dick Czeni, Paul Wolfowitz. Miller can leave, acknowledging that he was not open because he knows that he will remain a member of a good reputation of the political elite.
But there is no reason for this system of impunity of the elite, which has led to such harm, should remain in place. Ideally, Miller should be tried before the war crimes tribunal. This is most likely not to happen: international law is traditionally used only against weak countries, not a superpower management class. But what if ordinary citizens have entered to say that Miller, and such as he deserves to throw them away? What if in 2028 a progressive ballal in 2028 stated that they would be blacklisted with their Miller administration and similar figures (for example, former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and former Secretary of State Anthony Binken). Matt Das from the Center for International Policy, commentary In an interview, Miller stated: “They all knew. They all. They misled the public and Congress because Biden wanted to continue sending weapons.” If they all knew, they should all be rejected.
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