A top CIA official boldly shared multiple pro-Palestinian images on his Facebook page just two weeks after Hamas launched its bloody surprise attack on Israel — while President Biden was touring the Jewish state to pledge US allegiance to the country.
The CIA’s deputy associate director for analysis changed its cover photo on October 21 to a picture of a man wearing a Palestinian flag around his neck and waving a larger flag, the Financial Times reported.
The image — taken in 2015 during the height of the long-running conflict — has been used in various news stories and pieces critical of Israel’s role in the violence.
CIA agents also shared selfies with superimposed “Free Palestine” stickers, similar to those plastered on businesses and public spaces across the country by protesters calling for a ceasefire.
The Financial Times did not name the official after the intelligence agency expressed concerns for his safety.
“The officer is a career analyst with an extensive background in all aspects of the Middle East and this position [of the Palestinian flag] not intended to express a position on the conflict,” a person familiar with the situation told the outlet.
The individual added that the image of the sticker was initially posted several years before the latest crisis between the two countries and emphasized that the CIA official’s Facebook account was also filled with anti-Semitism posts.
Image shared by a top CIA official on Facebook.
The flag-waving man’s latest post, however, was shared as Biden shook hands with Israeli leaders on their own soil as a sign of support for the Jewish state in its conflict with terrorist groups.
Biden has strongly voiced support for the US ally since the Oct. 7 surprise attack that killed more than 1,300 people, making the post of disaffected CIA agent an extraordinary act.
A protester walks near burning tires in the occupied West Bank on November 27, 2023, ahead of the expected release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages. AFP via Getty Images
In his role, the associate deputy director is one of three people, including the CIA deputy director, responsible for approving all analyzes disseminated within the agency.
He also previously oversaw the production of the President’s Daily Briefing, a compilation of highly classified intelligence presented to the president almost every day, the Financial Times said.
“CIA officers are committed to analytical objectivity, which is at the core of what we do as an agency. CIA officials may have personal views, but this does not diminish their — or the CIA’s — commitment to unbiased analysis,” the CIA said in a statement to the outlet.
The CIA’s top official has since deleted pro-Palestinian images from his social media pages. Hamas Press Service/UPI/Shutterstock
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Neither the Office of the Director of National Intelligence nor the White House responded to The Post’s request for comment.
All official pro-Palestinian images and other unrelated posts have been deleted, the outlet reported.
Palestinian children sit by a fire next to the ruins of a house hit by an Israeli attack. Reuters
The report came as CIA Director William Burns arrived in Qatar, where he was due to meet with his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts and the Gulf state’s prime minister to discuss the possibility of extending the ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. for the second time.
Israel and Hamas agreed on Monday to an additional two-day pause in the fighting, meaning fighting may resume Thursday morning Israel time if no additional ceasefire is arranged.
Both sides agreed to release some of the hostages under the deal.
More than 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, have been killed in the conflict, according to data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
