A top press officer who was fired by the State Department last week after pushing back on the government’s aggressive language regarding Israel and Palestinians now says his ouster is contributing to a “chilling effect” within the department, particularly among colleagues who share his concerns.
In his first interview since his firing, Shahed Ghoreishi told Democracy Now that while the State Department gave no explanation for his exit, the incident followed several disputes in which department officials condemned Ghoreishi for characterizing U.S. positions on Gaza to include what the former press officer said was humanity and empathy.
“I believe that basic U.S. interests and human decency were important in my role,” Ghoreishi told the outlet Friday. “And last week, I think three events from Sunday, Monday and Tuesday built up to aggravate the radical ideologues at the State Department and in Embassy Jerusalem to lead to my firing.”
Ghoreishi had been serving as a press officer since September 2024, and in January moved to draft official language and talking points specifically about the U.S. government’s position on Israeli-Palestinian affairs.
On Aug. 17, Ghoreishi suggested that language around Israel’s recent killing of high-profile Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif and his five colleagues should include mourning for the loss of journalists and condolences to their families. According to the ex-press officer, the department immediately said it cannot give condolences because Israel has accused al-Sharif of being a member of Hamas.
