US State Department Dismisses Press Officer
(MENAFN) The U.S. State Department has removed its chief spokesperson for Israeli-Palestinian matters due to internal conflicts concerning official communications about Gaza, as reported on Wednesday.
According to The Washington Post, Shahed Ghoreishi’s removal stemmed from disputes over how to frame policies from the Trump administration — specifically, a contentious proposal involving the relocation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Critics have strongly denounced this plan as a form of ethnic cleansing.
The Washington Post revealed that Ghoreishi had prepared a statement containing the phrase: “We do not support forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.”
However, this phrasing was rejected by senior officials at the State Department, who instructed that the line be removed, as indicated in a memo which reportedly said to “cut the line marked in red and clear.”
Ghoreishi told The Washington Post that he was not provided with a rationale for his termination.
He maintained that the wording he proposed was consistent with past statements from officials during the Trump era, including remarks by special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff had stated in February that the U.S. would not implement an “eviction plan” for Gaza.
“Despite a strong reputation and close working relationship with many of my colleagues, I was unable to survive these disputes,” Ghoreishi remarked.
The disagreements also followed earlier tensions concerning whether the State Department should offer sympathies for Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and other media personnel who were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on August 10.
According to The Washington Post, senior leadership also blocked that effort.
Ghoreishi had proposed a line reading: “We mourn the loss of journalists and express condolences to their families.” Yet, in an August 10 email, top officials reportedly rejected the suggestion, stating: “No response is needed. We can’t be sending out condolences if we are unsure of this individual’s actions.”
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