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Last Updated on February 16, 2024.

Washington – Win Without War Executive Director Sara Haghdoosti released the following statement regarding the Israeli government’s bombing and threatened ground invasion against Gazans in Rafah:

“A full-scale attack on Rafah would be catastrophic and the Biden administration must use every tool at their disposal to stop it from taking place.

“More than half the population of Gaza are living in Rafah. Largely in makeshift tents, having been forced to this tiny corner of the Gaza Strip that borders Egypt by a series of IDF evacuation orders. They have no protection from IDF firepower, and nowhere left to go in Gaza to avoid the war.

“Regionally, an attack on Rafah would almost certainly produce further deadly escalation, from Yemen to Iraq, Syria, and the Lebanon-Israel border. The Egyptian government has publicly threatened to abrogate the Camp David Accords if Israel goes forward with its invasion of  Rafah, which would undo over four decades of U.S.-brokered peace and dramatically increase the odds of region-wide war. 

“The U.S. is likely the only government in the world that could sway the Israeli government to not move forward with this plan. To do so, however, it must use its leverage with the Israeli government. The Biden administration has made welcome gestures in recent weeks toward curbing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, including stating that an attack on Rafah without an adequate plan to protect civilians would be a “disaster.” In truth, no such plan is possible. Now is the time for President Biden to turn those words into action and enumerate clear consequences the Israeli government will face if it goes through with a dangerous, destructive assault on Rafah.”

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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.

February 15, 2024