In response to the escalating violence in the region, today's Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon, and the Pentagon's confirmation of new U.S. military deployments, DAWN issues the following statements:
"Israel's invasion of Lebanon, following its devastating attacks on Lebanon over the past two weeks, is the entirely predictable consequence of the Biden administration's ceaseless coddling and resupply of weapons to Israel, whatever public bleats for ceasefires the administration has otherwise made," said Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN's executive director. "The Biden administration has acted recklessly in giving Israel a blank check to light the entire region on fire, all while disregarding our own legal obligations under both U.S. and international law to halt the weapons flow to them."
"A ceasefire in Lebanon will be impossible without first securing a ceasefire in Gaza," said Raed Jarrar, DAWN's advocacy director. "Hezbollah and other armed groups have explicitly tied their actions to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, so there is no hope of de-escalating the situation in Lebanon while allowing Israel to continue its atrocities in Gaza."
"Rather than sending more U.S. forces into harm's way by deploying new squadrons of F-15E, F-16, A-10, and F-22 fighter planes to the Middle East, President Biden should face the reality of the situation and halt these reckless military moves," said Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, DAWN's director of research for Israel-Palestine. "Deploying more troops only deepens U.S. involvement in an avoidable regional war. Instead, the U.S. should be using all of its leverage to advance diplomatic solutions that prioritize civilian lives over endless conflict."
