US State Department memo prohibits de-escalatory framing on Gaza war

An internal memo from the US State Department has warned against the use of certain phrases aimed at de-escalating the conflict between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

The memo, which circulated around the department on Friday, stated that press materials should not include three phrases, "de-escalation/ceasefire," "end to violence/bloodshed" and "restoring calm."

According to The Huffington Post, which viewed the memo, the State Department refused to comment on internal communications.

In an interview with Sky News, ex-PM of #Israel Naftali Bennett defended collective punishment of civilians in Gaza, saying, “We're fighting Nazis!” Over 2.2 million people are trapped in #gaza #palestine #gazaunderattack

🔴 Live coverage: https://t.co/X8Dir9jkXY pic.twitter.com/fCWBh3USkP

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 14, 2023

The memo's leak comes as the US reaffirms its staunch support for Israel and its ongoing ferocious assault on the Gaza Strip, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating that "the US has Israel's back" during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this Thursday.

As well as Blinken, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also travelled to Israel Friday, saying that US military aid is "rapidly flowing" to Israel. Included in this aid are munitions, air defence capabilities and other equipment.

Israel is preparing for an upcoming ground invasion of Gaza and has pounded the territory with over 6,000 bombs since the start of its campaign following a Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 October.

As part of these preparations, Israel has told 1.1 million Gazans who live in the north of the strip, including Gaza city, to move south in an exodus that has been labelled as "utterly impossible" by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Looks like the Secretary of State deleted this tweet and replaced it with below, removing the reference to advocacy for a cease-fire https://t.co/5ao9ntSkYT pic.twitter.com/roWlsCDV2P

— Robbie Gramer (@RobbieGramer) October 9, 2023

The UN also criticised the order, which had a 24-hour deadline, saying that it could cause a "calamitous situation" within Gaza.

Blinken has stated that he spoke to the Israeli government "about possibilities for safe passage for civilians who want to leave or get out of the way in Gaza," although a previous tweet about encouraging Turkish advocacy for a ceasefire was deleted and replaced, according to Foreign Policy's National Security Reporter Robbie Gramer.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has seen 2,215 Palestinians killed and 8,714 injured, with 1,300 Israelis killed and 3,300 injured.