This week, we were alarmed as Israel expanded its war in Gaza into the occupied West Bank, launching a major attack in the territory on Monday.
The operation is the largest in the West Bank in more than two decades. Israeli forces have killed at least 18 Palestinians and wounded more than 30 others, and it is ongoing.
While this is a serious escalation, it is not the first outbreak of violence in the West Bank in the past year. Since October 7, more than 580 Palestinians in the territory have been killed in Israeli military raids, airstrikes, and attacks by extremist settler groups.
The scale and severity of this week’s attacks have left residents to fear that they could face the same kind of bombardment and suffering as the people of Gaza.
“All of us [are] very scared,” said Ahmed Tobasi, an artist living in the Jenin refugee camp. “We know there is something different in this invasion.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli government has reportedly agreed to a partial humanitarian pause in its Gaza campaign amid the territory’s first outbreak of polio in 25 years.
While this is welcome news, it’s not enough. The highly infectious disease is a “massive threat,” FCNL’s Hassan El-Tayyab said this week, urging President Biden to demand at least a full pause, long enough to allow aid groups to complete a vaccination campaign.
Two recent Israeli military attacks on humanitarian workers, including a strike that killed five people in an aid convoy on Friday, underscore the urgent need for the U.S. to hold Israel accountable and ensure that aid groups can vaccinate all children in Gaza safely.
“We cannot vaccinate children under a sky full of bombs and strikes,” one humanitarian official said this week. “We need humanity.”
After nearly 11 months of devastating violence, this war must be ended, not expanded. To address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and prevent a further expansion of violence the United States must finally use its military and diplomatic leverage to pressure Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire.
Elsewhere
Food aid starts to move into Darfur
Some good news: Food aid is finally heading to those in dire need in Sudan’s Darfur region after a six-month halt. Although peace talks mediated by the United States have not ended the conflict in Sudan, this resumption of aid is vital to alleviate desperate human suffering.
We’re urging U.S. leaders to continue working to secure unhindered aid access and an inclusive peace process to end the violence.
Happy Labor Day
We hope you’re enjoying time with your family and community this Labor Day weekend! As summer draws to a close and kids head back to school, we’re thinking about what we want for them.
We seek a world where everyone thrives, regardless of how much money their family has. In recent weeks, the Senate failed to seize an opportunity to help millions of kids by expanding the Child Tax Credit. But we’re not giving up. We are building bipartisan coalitions to do the right thing when the tax code faces its next major restructuring in 2025.
Latest at FCNL
We heard this week from two summer 2024 interns at FCNL!
- Sabrina Shaffer spoke with long-time advocate Scott Duncan about the importance of peace work in his life and his involvement with FCNL.
- Anabel Kadri wrote about the power of nature to help address our climate crisis.
Still Time: We need 10 new Sustainers!
Regardless of the outcome of the election on Nov 5, Congress needs persistent advocates calling for peace, equity, environmental sustainability, and justice. As a monthly donor to FCNL (a Sustainer), you can meet that urgent need. We need ten new sustainers this month to meet our goal.
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