ACTION ALERT: US Reverses Course;
Resumes Bomb Shipments to Israel
Win Without War
(July 12, 2024) — Parents were putting their children to bed in Rafah when a precision-guided missile detonated near a refugee encampment. 45 people were killed, and hundreds were injured. Serial numbers on parts found amidst the debris of the SDB GBU-39, a 250-pound small-diameter precision bomb, showed their origin: Valencia, California. [1]
Despite the US government’s clear complicity in the growing death toll in Gaza, the Biden administration maintains that the Israeli government has not crossed any red lines that would trigger a freeze on the delivery of bombs like the SDB GBU-39 used in May. It’s quite the opposite: The Washington Post has confirmed the US government will release a shipment of even bigger bombs, reporting, “500-pound bombs were never a serious concern for the Biden administration.” [2]
By continuing to supply these kinds of offensive weapons, the US government is failing to do all it can to end a devastating war that fuels violence across the region — and if you’re outraged and frustrated, you’re not alone.
It’s why we’re doubling down on every strategy we’ve got to bring the remaining hostages home and end the violence, but while we push for peace, hawks — like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is speaking before Congress in just a few weeks — are circling.
The thing that’s holding us back from launching a targeted ad campaign, mobilizing thousands more activists, and flying in constituents to speak out directly to DC decision-makers and drown out their calls for more weapons and war? Resources.
Too many have already died — women, children, humanitarian aid workers, and journalists. In just the past few days, the Israeli government issued another round of evacuation orders in Gaza [3], where there is nowhere left to flee. The US government’s decision in the face of such indescribable fear and suffering? A shipment of 1,700 500-pound bombs.
It’s unconscionable. The terrifying chance these bombs kill more innocent people in Gaza is high. And if not there, the risk they are used to similar terrible effects in Lebanon — where the Netanyahu government seems determined to go next — is only rising.
The choice is between de-escalation and more war. Together, we can ensure decision-makers fully reckon with the consequences of wasting the US government’s incredible influence.
PM Netanyahu’s speech — and the spotlight it will shine on DC — is a real opportunity for people across the country, along with our allies in Congress, to remind both the Biden administration and the Israeli government that millions of people across the United States, Israel, Palestine, and the entire world are watching — and desperately demanding the end of this violent chapter.
We have to seize this moment with all we’ve got.
The amount of money we raise today directly impacts our ability to ensure a pro-peace voice is heard in DC tomorrow. Pushing for peace in this urgent moment of crisis requires a HUGE lift for our small team — constant communication with partners, early morning meetings on the Hill, and late-night staff calls to strategize next steps — but we’re digging deep to get the job done.
We know we can remake our foreign policy into a tool for good, but we must act together — and there’s no time to lose.
The only way for us to guarantee that nothing changes is to do nothing. Please re-affirm your commitment to a more peaceful world today.
Thank you for working for peace,
The Win Without War team
Footnotes
1. The Washington Post, “Experts say Israel used US-made bomb in deadly Rafah strike”
2. The Washington Post, US to again ship 500-pound bombs to Israel, reversing suspension
3. CNN, “Gaza’s chessboard of suffering: Tens of thousands on the move again as IDF issues new evacuation orders”
