Former representative claims American State Department cheated Congress on Gaza

(MENAFN) A former senior adviser at the United States Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Stacy Gilbert, has resigned from her position, alleging that the department misled Congress regarding Israeli restrictions on aid to Gaza. Gilbert, who served in the bureau for two decades, raised objections after a 46-page memo titled NSM-20 was provided to United States lawmakers on May 10.

According to Gilbert, the memo claimed that Israel had not violated United States laws prohibiting the provision of arms to countries that restrict American humanitarian aid. However, she contends that this conclusion contradicted the reality on the ground. She emphasized that her objections were shared by other humanitarian subject matter experts within the State Department, as well as individuals from the intelligence community and other bureaus.

Gilbert stated that the draft report, which she had contributed to as an expert, underwent revisions at a higher level before being presented to Congress. Dissatisfied with the final version of the report, Gilbert informed her colleagues of her decision to resign. Her departure was reportedly confirmed by inside sources to the Washington Post.

While the State Department has stood by the contents of NSM-20, it has refrained from commenting on Gilbert's specific role in the matter. Gilbert's allegations raise concerns about the transparency and accuracy of information provided to Congress regarding the situation in Gaza and highlight potential discrepancies between expert assessments and official statements.

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