Barbara Leaf

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (2022-2025)

Current: Senior International Policy Advisor, Arnold & Porter

As Biden’s Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf routinely excused Israel’s actions and defended the U.S. and Israel’s blocking of aid to Palestinians. 

On November 8, 2023, a month into Israel’s siege and bombing campaign, Leaf dismissed the prospect of a ceasefire. Leaf went on to defend Israel’s actions following October 7 and to accuse Hamas of war crimes and genocide, as well as being the sole party responsible for preventing the Red Cross from visiting hostages. Leaf didn’t cite evidence to support her claims, nor did she acknowledge warnings of what was then considered potentially genocidal acts by Israel. Furthermore, Leaf did not acknowledge that Israel had banned the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting prisoners in detention since October 2023. 

After the Biden administration began to withhold funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which supplied the majority of schooling, healthcare, social services, emergency-response services, and other forms of support to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Leaf defended the decision. “We really had no choice but to suspend our funding…given the severity of these allegations,” Leaf stated at a press briefing. The allegations Leaf referred to—that UNRWA was involved in the October 7 attacks—were completely unfounded.