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Last Updated on November 22, 2024.

Washington – Win Without War Executive Director, Sara Haghdoosti, released the following statement regarding the Israeli government’s recent airstrikes on Iran:

“Yesterday, we witnessed yet another episode in the growing regional war engulfing the Middle East – this time, a new round of Israeli military strikes on Iran. If more bombs could bring peace, this conflict would have ended long ago. Sadly, the reality is that these strikes risk prolonging and expanding the violence that has enveloped Palestinian, Israeli, Lebanese, and Iranian communities for the last year. 

“The truth is that the Israeli and Iranian governments have been claiming to ‘restore deterrence’ with bombs and missiles for months now, and have, inevitably, only produced more rounds of violence. The only way for this spiraling violence to stop is through diplomacy. Without an immediate commitment to de-escalation, these attacks will continue to grow, eventually pulling the U.S. military into the conflict and threatening the lives of millions. President Biden must do more to stop this violence immediately.

“If regional war is allowed to worsen, the people of Iran, who have spent years bravely resisting the tyranny of their government, will pay a disproportionate cost. War does nothing to help them – a widespread conflict is only likely to strengthen government hardliners and dramatically worsen the already dire economic and humanitarian situation in the country.

“The regional war that we’ve warned against for months is sadly here, and it’s getting worse by the day. The Biden administration has utterly failed, so far, to fully exercise U.S. leverage and deescalate the crisis, secure a ceasefire, and protect civilians, all while allowing the Netanyahu government to pull the U.S. into exactly the kind of horrific quagmire President Biden pledged to avoid. But even in the waning weeks of his presidency, the window is not fully closed to change course. The president can and must act decisively to rein in this violence, disrupt this cycle of escalation, and create a meaningful pathway back towards peace.”

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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.

October 26, 2024