An army veteran with a tour in Iraq and over a decade of State Department postings across Asia, Mike Casey began his assignment in Jerusalem with the optimism of a seasoned diplomat. Armed with two years of Arabic training and the hope that a new administration might bring change, Casey believed his work could make a difference.
By the time he resigned in 2024, Casey was deeply disillusioned. Serving as the State Department’s deputy political counsellor on Gaza, he became an unwilling witness to what he later described as a systematic failure of US foreign policy.
Casey told The Guardian that the more he learned about the Israel-Gaza issue, the more it became impossible to ignore its gravity. His role as one of just two US officials explicitly focused on Gaza policy exposed him to the relentless human toll of the conflict. Casey said he felt overwhelmed by the futility of repeatedly documenting the deaths of children and proving these casualties to Washington, only to see no action taken in response.
A Slow Build of Disillusionment
Casey’s responsibilities included documenting Gaza’s humanitarian and political conditions through classified reports and cables. He grew increasingly frustrated by what he saw as the systemic dismissal of his findings by Washington. He recalled how colleagues would joke that even attaching cash to the daily updates wouldn’t get them noticed. The latest UN figures illustrate the crisis Casey grappled with: over 45,000 Palestinians killed, 90% of the population displaced, and conditions bordering on famine. Even international legal interventions, such as orders from the International Court of Justice, failed to halt the devastation.
A Broken Planning Process
Casey and his colleagues faced repeated roadblocks in their attempts to develop comprehensive post-war reconstruction strategies. They proposed measures to provide humanitarian aid, strengthen governance, and enhance security in Gaza. These included connecting Gaza with the West Bank, empowering the Palestinian Authority, and eventually holding elections.
However, Casey described how each plan was routinely dismissed in favour of Israeli-backed alternatives that he found not only impractical but actively harmful—such as proposals to let local clans govern Gaza. He explained that his team wrote numerous reports detailing why such plans would fail and emphasised that allowing warlords to take control in Gaza was not in the US’s interest.
US-Israel Relations: A Fundamental Obstacle
Casey’s frustrations extended beyond the bureaucratic dismissal of his ideas. He believed the US’s unique relationship with Israel posed a significant roadblock to effective diplomacy. He contrasted the leverage the US used in negotiations with countries like Malaysia and Pakistan—where sanctions or suspended aid were options—with the deference he observed toward Israel. He claimed that Israeli negotiators could prolong discussions indefinitely, knowing the US would eventually acquiesce to their demands.
This disparity was starkly reflected in financial figures: while Palestinians received $674 million in US aid in 2024, Israel benefited from a record $17.9 billion in military assistance.
Disappointment with the Biden Administration
Casey initially hoped the Biden administration would take a more balanced approach compared to its predecessor, but he felt let down at every turn. One of the most demoralising moments came when President Biden publicly questioned Gaza casualty figures that Casey himself had documented. For Casey, this raised doubts about the value of his work when such data was disregarded so easily.
By July 2024, Casey decided he could no longer continue in his role. He admitted feeling too embarrassed to remain an American diplomat, believing he could no longer function effectively in any future assignment.
A Systemic Failure
Now far removed from diplomacy, Casey works at a local bank in Michigan. However, his criticisms of US foreign policy remain deeply personal. He sees a systemic failure that extends beyond any single administration, arguing that the lack of a coherent strategy toward Palestinians ultimately harms Israelis too. Reflecting on his experience, Casey summarised his assessment of US policy in one stark conclusion: the US has no real policy on Palestine and merely follows Israel’s lead.
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