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A senior CIA official posted a pro-Palestinian image on Facebook two weeks after Hamas attacked Israel, in a rare public statement about a war that has sparked controversy in the White House.
The CIA's deputy director of analysis changed her Facebook cover photo on October 21 to an image of a man waving a Palestinian flag.
The matter was brought to the public by the Financial Times without naming it after the CIA expressed concern about its security. As the publication notes, posting an image with an overtly political stance on a public platform is an unusual move for a senior intelligence official.
The revelation of the move comes at a time when tensions are rising within the Biden administration over whether the US president should put more pressure on Israel to end attacks on the Gaza Strip.
In a separate Facebook post, the CIA official posted a selfie that read "Free Palestine." A source said the image was posted on Facebook years ago, long before the current conflict. "The officer is a career analyst with an extensive background in all aspects of the Middle East and this post by the Palestinian flag was not intended to express a position on the conflict," he said. He added that the official had posted anti-Semitism on Facebook.
Four former Secret Service officials expressed surprise that the agency's deputy director posted an image on Facebook showing political views on a divisive issue. The CIA official previously oversaw the drafting of the daily written briefing, which contained highly classified information, presented to the US president.
"The posting of a seemingly controversial political statement by a senior director of analysis in the middle of a crisis clearly shows poor judgment," said one former intelligence official. He added that some members of the intelligence community were concerned that the post expressed a bias that could undermine the direction of the analysis.
“CIA officers are committed to analytical objectivity, which is at the core of what we do as an agency. CIA officers may have personal opinions, but that does not diminish their – or the CIA's – commitment to unbiased analysis,” the CIA said in a statement.
Former US intelligence officials said the photo raises concerns on several levels, including the fact that the CIA has strong ties to Israeli intelligence. "Given the CIA's long and extremely close relationship with the Israelis, this would be highly unusual for a senior agency official," said one former official.
The revelation came after CIA Director Bill Burns arrived in Qatar for meetings with the head of Israel's spy agency and Qatar's prime minister, who was involved in brokering a deal to free more of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
"Given Burns' role in the ongoing crisis in Israel, this social media activity by a senior U.S. intelligence officer shows extremely poor judgment," said a third former intelligence official.
A fourth former official noted that the post seemed "biased by someone who is supposed to be fundamentally impartial."
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