By the undersigned, October 3, 2024
President Joseph R. Biden
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden,
As organizations representing diverse American communities, we are appalled by the recent military escalations in the Middle East, the spiraling civilian death tolls, and the failure of the Biden Administration to secure a ceasefire and prevent a march to full-blown regional war with Iran.
It is not in the national interest for the U.S. to be led into a war with Iran by Benjamin Netanyhu’s government in Israel. It is in the strong national interest to utilize diplomacy, backed by full American leverage – including withholding further offensive weapons transfers to Israel’s military – to move all the parties back from the brink and toward a ceasefire that ends the devastation of Gaza and Lebanon and reverses the slide to regional war.
We implore the Biden-Harris administration to rethink its deferential approach to Netanyahu’s defiant escalations and do everything in its power to push back strongly on those eager to exploit this chaos to trigger a wider war. There is no “de-escalation through escalation” – Biden must stop the flow of US weapons that are enabling Israel to provoke regional war.
Moreover, we urge you to recognize and respect that Congress has not authorized military force against Iran or militias backed by Iran, and that any potential military action against Iran could only proceed following a debate and passage of a war authorization before entering our troops into any imminent hostilities in the region. President Biden has recently spoken of steps he has taken to wind down America’s military footprint abroad. However, unless he acts quickly and decisively through diplomacy, it appears that a new endless war will be his legacy.
Again, we urge U.S. policymakers to lead with diplomacy at this critical moment to deescalate with Iran and reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon and beyond, and to respect the U.S. Constitution and Congress’ war power authorities.
Sincerely,
ABLE NH
Action Corps
The Alliance for the Prevention of Atrocity Crimes
Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine
Alliance of Baptists
Arab American Civic Council
Ban Killer Drones
Brooklyn for Peace
Center for Jewish Nonviolence
Coalition for Peace Action
Coalition for Peace, Relief and Equity
CODEPINK
Concerned Families of Westchester (NY)
Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus
Democratic Socialists of America
Democratic Socialists of America (Maine)
Doctors Against Genocide
DuPage Progressive Alliance
Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace
Hajra Project
Hawai`i Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines
Hindus for Human Rights
Historians for Peace and Democracy
Human Rights Awareness: Palestine Israel/MA CD3
IfNotNow
Illinois Progressives
Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Jewish Voice for Peace Central Ohio
Just Foreign Policy
Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
MADRE
Maine Coalition for Palestine
Massachusetts Peace Action
Minnesota Peace Project
MPower Change Action Fund
Muslim Delegates and Allies
Muslims United PAC
National Iranian American Council
New York Progressive Action Network
Pax Christi Boston, MA
Pax Christi New Jersey
Pax Christi New York State
Pax Christi Pittsburgh Area
Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus
Peace Action
Peace Action Chicago
Peace Action Maine
Peace Action Manhattan
Peace Action Michigan
Peace Action New Hampshire
Peace Action New York State
Peace Action San Mateo County
Peace Action Wisconsin
Peace And Truth Heals (PATH) / Chambers of Compassion Initiative
Peace, Justice, Sustainability, NOW!
Philadelphia Alliance of Muslim Mothers
Physicians for Humanity
Progressive Democrats of America – Central New Mexico
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
ReThinking Foreign Policy
RootsAction.org
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area
Solidarity 2020 and Beyond
Sonoma County for Palestine
St. Columba Catholic Church
The Church of the Good Shepherd
The Peace and Justice Coalition of Prince Georges County Maryland
Tompkins County Progressives
Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East
Uptown Progressive Action
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR)
Veterans For Peace Chapter 35 Spokane, Washington
West Suburban Peace Coalition
Western New York Peace Center
Women for Weapons Trade Transparency
World BEYOND War
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
99 Coalition
