80 Organizations Tell Biden No to Yet More Wars

By the organizations below, February 3, 2024

Dear President Biden,

The undersigned 80 groups – 49 national, and 31 state and local – work across the ideological
spectrum and represent multiple sectors including veterans, diaspora communities, working class
voters, national security experts, faith leaders, peace advocates, human rights defenders, public
health professionals, and more. In light of the recent tragic deaths of U.S. service members in
Jordan and calls for all-out war with Iran in response, we write to express our mounting alarm
about the recent ramping up of conflict in the Middle East. Israel’s air and ground offensive
against Gaza – following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 – has killed a staggering 26,000
people and counting in just under four months, and led to other reverberating violence. Militias
backed by Iran are targeting U.S. service members in the region, international shipping lanes are
being attacked by the Houthis, and Israel and Hezbollah continue a dangerous retaliatory cycle of
mortar and rocket attacks. We fear that, as tensions continue in this escalatory spiral, the U.S.
could become engaged in a protracted new war that spans across the entire region. To avoid such
an unacceptable outcome, we urge you to prioritize diplomatic pathways to de-escalation, which
must include urgently pressing for and securing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

While the Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea have been concerning and
dangerous, the decision to initiate airstrikes in Yemen has done little to stop these attacks and
may trigger a significant expansion of the war. We are deeply alarmed by recent reporting that
your administration is considering following up on recent U.S. strikes in Yemen against the
Houthis with a “sustained campaign,” despite acknowledging these strikes are, in fact, not
working. These strikes, in addition to other reactive measures such as designating the Houthis a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), have only emboldened the group, as their attacks
have expanded to include UK and U.S. ships, and threaten the UN-announced peace process in
Yemen.

Even before the militia attacks that recently killed three U.S. service members and wounded
many more in Jordan near the Syrian border, the war between Israel and Hamas had led to a
dramatic increase in attacks on U.S. forces in the region, wounding nearly 70 U.S. personnel
(that number has now risen to 100). Initially, the U.S. military response was largely limited to
striking back on militias in Iraq and Syria, and now some are calling for direct confrontation with
Iran. But instead of keeping our troops safe or improving our security, these tit-for-tat attacks
have not deterred militias from seeking to strike U.S. forces. The only pause in attacks came
when the Biden administration secured a week-long pause in the fighting, as hostages held in
Gaza were released.

Mr. President, retaliatory bombing will not calm the region or resolve these conflicts, and instead
may entangle the U.S. in a disastrous open-ended conflict with a range of actors. This is
particularly true of the irresponsible calls for a new unauthorized bombing campaign inside Iran,
which would bring Iran directly into the fighting against U.S. forces. Such a result would be
disastrous, undermine U.S. interests, put our service members at even greater risk, and come
with a devastating cost in both dollars and lives. As dozens of Members of the House and Senate
have recently made clear, you do not have the unilateral authority to escalate militarily in the
region, and we will press Congress to exercise its constitutional right to prevent you from doing
so.

While there is no panacea before us, it is undeniable that the rise in attacks by the Houthis in the
Red Sea and by militias in Iraq and Syria are directly connected to the conflict in Gaza. This is
clear both by the Houthis’ own statements, and the decrease in militia attacks during November’s
weeklong ceasefire in Gaza. We strongly condemn the violence from Hamas, the Houthis, and
other Iran-backed militias, and the support provided by Iran’s government. Writing as U.S.-based
organizations, however, we affirm that our government’s foremost responsibility is to keep
people safe, even when it’s difficult – and this escalatory pathway will only lead to further
instability and violence. And as a president that campaigned on a promise to “elevate diplomacy
as a principal tool of our foreign policy” and lean on military force only as a “last resort,” it is
imperative that you exercise leadership in this moment and utilize all leverage at your disposal to
de-escalate and explore all diplomatic pathways to address the root causes of the violence.
We urge you to lead with diplomacy, by pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza, to address the source of
the violence and prevent further escalation.

Sincerely,
National Organizations:
ActionAid USA
Action Corps
Afghans For A Better Tomorrow
Alliance of Baptists
American Friends Service Committee
Antiwar.com
Center for International Policy
Center for Victims of Torture
Center on Conscience and War
Charity & Security Network
Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
CommonDefense.us
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Defending Rights & Dissent
Demand Progress Education Fund
End the Wars Committee of Progressive Democrats of America
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
Health Alliance International
Historians for Peace and Democracy
If Not Now
Institute for Policy Studies New Internationalism Project
International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Just Foreign Policy
The Libertarian Institute
MADRE
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
MPower Change
Muslims for Just Futures
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of Churches
National Iranian American Council
Peace Action
Presbyterian Church, (USA), Office of Public Witness
ReThinking Foreign Policy
RootsAction.org
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
The United Methodist Church — General Board of Church and Society
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Church of Christ
Veterans For Peace
Women for Weapons Trade Transparency
Working Families Party
World BEYOND War
Win Without War
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
Yemeni Alliance Committee
State and Local Organizations:
American Friends Service Committee, Colorado
The Azarias Project
Brooklyn For Peace
Carolina Peace Center
Chicago Area Peace Action
Cleveland Peace Action
Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Washington, DC
Friends Committee on National Legislation Colorado Advocacy Team
LEPOCO Peace Center (Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern)
Massachusetts Peace Action
Minnesota Peace Project
National Iranian American Council – Colorado Chapter
New Hampshire Peace Action
New Jersey Peace Action
Newton Dialogues on War and Peace
North Carolina Peace Action
Oregon FCNL Advocacy Team
PA Progressive Dems of America
Partners for Peace Fort Collins
Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore
Peace Action Montgomery
Peace Action New York State
Peace Action of San Mateo County
Peace Action WI
Peace and Social Justice Committee, Fifteenth Street Friends Meeting, Religious Society of
Friends (Quakers)
Peace Corps Iran Association (PCIA)
Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!
Sacramento Area Peace Action
South Dakota Voices for Peace
Western New York Peace Center
Western Mass CODEPINK