36 DECEMBER 2024 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL the impact the war was having on the lives of Gazan civilians. These four officers at the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA) in Jerusalem decided a Dissent Channel message was their best option to ensure that their concern, based on their on-theground experience and nuanced perspectives, would be evaluated and considered. The cable they drafted exemplified the value of intellectual courage: It clearly defined the topic on which they disagreed, and it was narrow enough for the department to take action if it chose to do so. Their dissent cable showed their understanding of the subtleties of U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its regional implications, and clearly articulated why, despite the complexity, the department should take specific actions. The four co-recipients took Arabic together and have served together for the past 5 years. Konrad Turski is a career Foreign Service officer who joined the State Department in 2014 and previously served in Cairo and Buenos Aires. From 2021 until 2024, he served as one of the two Gaza watchers at OPA in Jerusalem, where he focused on helping leadership in Jerusalem and Washington understand the humanitarian and economic situation inside Gaza. With the eruption of the conflict in October 2023, his work, like that of his colleagues, was transformed overnight, including efforts to ensure the safety of locally employed staff and their families inside Gaza. He and his colleagues began working to draw attention to areas where policy changes could help protect the lives of civilians amid the devastating conflict. “I once heard it said that the people who know the most about something are those least able to talk about it,” Turski says. “The department’s Dissent Channel is a unique opportunity to test that notion, providing not only a way to share what we see on the ground directly with our leadership, but the opportunity to do so in a way that can actually improve our policy. For me, this award represents a recognition of our responsibility as Foreign Service officers to do exactly that.” FSO Caryl Tuma arrived in Jerusalem in August 2020 and worked in OPA for three years, advancing the U.S. relationship with Palestinian private sector representatives and entrepreneurs across East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, and developing programs that support Palestinian students and young professionals with leadership and professional development opportunities. In the course of her work, she also had the opportunity to meet Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilding activists, who are inspiring in their commitment to coexistence. “I am grateful that the department encourages intellectual debate about policy and process, and that our leadership in Jerusalem embraced that,” Tuma says. “The culture of dissent— including an official dissent channel—is part of that larger picture, and the fact there’s an award for it is a clear indication of that value. I hope this award is evidence that intellectual and principled discussions can exist, even around the most controversial and heart-wrenching issues.” Konrad Turski Caryl Tuma Emily Green Michael Casey Caryl Tuma at an olive grove in the West Bank.
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