The US State Department fired its top press officer for Israeli-Palestinian affairs following disputes over how to cover key Trump administration policies, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing US officials and documents which the outlet had reviewed.
The policies included the administration's plans to relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, the outlet noted. Shahed Ghoreishi's firing comes days after an internal department debate about releasing a press statement that he drafted, which said "we do not support forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza."
The State Department leadership vetoed the line, instructing officials to "cut the line marked in red and clear," according to a memo dated last week seen by the Washington Post.
“We do not comment on leaked emails or allegations,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott was cited by the Washington Post as saying. “Federal employees should never put their personal political ideologies ahead of the duly elected president’s agenda.”
However, US officials told the Washington Post that Ghoreishi's firing sent a chilling message to State Department employees that communication that strays from ardent pro-Israel messaging, even if it is in line with long-standing policy in Washington, will not be tolerated.
The newspaper spoke to Ghoreishi, who told them that he was not given an explanation for his firing. The report noted that the State Department was not required to do so, as Ghoreishi was a contractor.
Ghoreishi also told the Washington Post that "Despite a strong reputation and close working relationship with many of my colleagues, I was unable to survive these disputes," and that the incident raised troubling questions about the State Department's position on the potential expulsion of Palestinians from the enclave.
Similar dispute over public statement after the killing of Anas al-Sharif
A similar dispute between State Department leadership and Ghoreishi emerged over Israel's killing of Hamas terrorist Anas al-Sharif on August 10.
Ghoreishi wanted to release a message of condolence after Sharif, who was also working as an Al Jazeera journalist, was killed. However, department leaders sent an email saying "No response is needed. We can't be sending out condolences if we are unsure of this individual's actions," the Washington Post reported.
Ghoreishi also clashed with David Milstein, an advisor to US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, including over the State Department's decision to refer to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria.
A memo from Milstein, which was seen by the Washington Post, praised Speaker Mike Johnson for "making history as the highest-ranking US official and first speaker of the House to ever go to Judea and Samaria." According to the outlet, Ghoreishi cut that line.
Ghoreishi denied that he was motivated by anti-Trump views, and praised a speech by the president in May.
"Trump called out neocons and Western interventionists for failing the Middle East, and claimed he wanted to help pave a new path for the region."
"The hawks on the seventh floor of the State Department do not match that vision," he added.
The "seventh floor" is the location of the offices of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials.
Far Right activist, Laura Loomer, criticized Ghoreishi as a "Pro-Iranian Regime jihadi Muslim tied to NIAC," referring to the National Iranian American Council, which supported then-president Barack Obama's 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Ghoreishi admitted to being an intern at NIAC in 2013, according to the Washington Post.