Senior U.S. Press Officer Fired: “Trump Demands Only Pro-Israel Messaging”

The U.S. State Department has dismissed Shahad Qureshi, its senior press officer for Israel and the Palestinians, following internal disputes over the Trump administration’s policy on Gaza. According to the Washington Post, Qureshi was fired just days after drafting a press statement that would have said: “The United States does not support the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.”

Senior officials vetoed the line, ordered it scrapped, and then removed him from his post altogether.

Clash Over Messaging on Gaza

Qureshi’s proposed statement echoed remarks previously made by both President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who publicly said the U.S. would not carry out any mass relocation of Gazans. But when Qureshi pressed to keep the phrasing, his draft was blocked. Soon after, he was told his services were no longer needed.

A Pattern of Internal Disputes

Colleagues told the Post that Qureshi’s ouster sends a strong message inside the department: only messaging that is explicitly pro-Israel will be tolerated.

Qureshi had also clashed with senior officials over other sensitive issues, including whether to offer condolences after Israeli strikes killed Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and other reporters in Gaza. He urged a public statement of mourning; his superiors refused, writing internally: “No need for a response, we cannot offer condolences if we are not sure of this individual’s activities.”

The Post identified one of Qureshi’s key adversaries: David Milstein, a senior adviser to U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee in Israel. According to colleagues, Milstein frequently pushed the department to adopt more Israeli-preferred terminology, including using “Judea and Samaria” instead of the “West Bank".

Qureshi himself managed to block one Milstein-approved draft that praised House Speaker Mike Johnson for making “history” by visiting “Judea and Samaria.” Instead, Qureshi reverted to the “West Bank”.

Qureshi, who worked as a contractor and therefore was not owed an official explanation for his dismissal, told the Post that the episode raises questions about whether the Trump administration intends to support or quietly back proposals to relocate Gazans abroad. Reports have suggested Israel has discussed such ideas with countries like South Sudan.

“I had a strong track record and close working relationships with colleagues,” Qureshi said. “But I couldn’t survive these disagreements. This wasn’t about being anti-Trump. It was about keeping our language aligned with U.S. policy.”