The US State Department has sacked its senior press officer for Palestinian-Israeli affairs over his stance on Gaza.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Shahed Ghoreishi was dismissed after disputes over how to characterise White House policies, including a plan to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza.
His firing reportedly occurred days after an internal debate about releasing a media statement that said: “We do not support forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.”
US President Donald Trump this year expressed support for displacing Palestinians from Gaza to allow the enclave to be made into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
State Department employees were told communications straying from ardent pro-Israel messaging – even that which is in line with long-standing US policy – will not be tolerated, The Washington Post quoted sources as saying.
Another dispute involved the killing of several journalists in Gaza city. Mr Ghoreishi recommended that the department say the US mourns their loss and express condolences to their families, which the leadership rejected, the report added.
Yet another dispute involved one official's insistence on referring to the West Bank by its biblical name of "Judea and Samaria", which is how senior officials including the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and House Speaker Mike Johnson have referred to it recently.
Earlier on Wednesday, far-right activist Laura Loomer said on X that Mr Ghoreishi was fired for pushing “anti-Trump” and “pro-Iranian regime propaganda” at the State Department. She highlighted Mr Ghoreishi's time as an intern with the National Iranian American Council lobbying group and accused him of holding “anti-Israel” views.
The State Department declined to comment on "leaked emails or allegations".
"The Department has zero tolerance for employees who commit misconduct by leaking or otherwise disclosing confidential deliberative emails or information," Tommy Pigott, principal deputy spokesman, told The National in a statement. "Federal employees should never put their personal political ideologies ahead of the duly elected President’s agenda.”
