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Last Updated on March 4, 2025.

Washington – Win Without War Executive Director, Sara Haghdoosti, released the following statement responding to the Israeli government’s announcement of a blockade against the Gaza Strip:

“In the waning days of the Biden administration, the Israeli government agreed to a three-phase ceasefire process to end the horrific war in Gaza and bring home all the hostages. Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is choosing to throw that process away and instead return to a policy of starving the millions of Palestinians in Gaza who have already suffered so horribly in his vicious, doomed war, while crushing the hopes of the hostages and their families.

“It is no coincidence that Netanyahu’s decision to abandon the ceasefire process comes on the heels of President Trump’s vile proposal for ethnic cleansing and settlement building in Gaza. The Trump administration has now tripled down on its predecessor’s failures, using spurious “emergency” authorities to green light huge weapons packages in recent days without Congressional debate and oversight. So the Trump administration is not only expanding the existing policy of arming the Netanyahu government without preconditions, but combining it with an enthusiastic endorsement of the Israeli far-right’s goals in Gaza.

“Netanyahu’s order to blockade Gaza, not allowing in humanitarian or any other kinds of goods, is both a clear violation of international law and a monstrous moral crime, imperiling the lives of millions. It is also yet another obvious instance of aid obstruction by the Israeli government – which should trigger Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act and cut off the transfer of offensive weapons to the Israeli government. Congress failed to enforce this law during the previous administration. With Trump and his allies among the Israeli government’s far right ministers uniting to foreclose any opportunity of peace between Palestinians and Israelis, we call on Congress to do everything in its power to ensure that the law is upheld and that U.S. leverage with the Israeli government is used to restore the ceasefire process and seek peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

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Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and national organizations working for progressive foreign policy in the United States.

March 4, 2025