AJP Action Demands Unified Ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza, Criticizes U.S. Complicity In Undermining Peace [WASHINGTON D.C., NOVEMBER 26, 2024] – Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) cautions against the newly announced ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, warning that it fails to address the region's instability and perpetuates Israeli impunity. The agreement, announced by President Biden, does not ensure an immediate end to Israel’s occupation in parts of southern Lebanon, instead allowing a 60-day transition period for withdrawal. Moreover, the U.S. has reportedly provided Israel assurances, promising support for Israel to commit future attacks on Lebanon under the vague justification of perceived threats, undermining the very premise of the ceasefire. Most importantly, the ceasefire announcement decouples the wars in Lebanon and Gaza and treats them as if they are unrelated, providing an insufficient response to the region’s instability and violence. AJP Action calls on the Biden Administration to quickly end its complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and urgently secure a comprehensive, immediate, and unequivocal ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza. For the past year, the two have been inextricably connected, driven by Israel’s overarching strategy of oppression and regional domination. Any agreement that does not address this reality will only deepen suffering and prolong instability for millions across the region. “Today’s ceasefire is, unfortunately, not a reflection of progress toward peace. Israel’s agreement with Lebanon comes just six days after the Biden administration vetoed its fourth UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. While the administration now claims to be a neutral mediator, its actions tell a different story,” said Osama Abuirshaid, Executive Director of AJP Action. “By brokering an insufficient biased ceasefire in favor of Israel in Lebanon ceasefire in Lebanon while continuing to openly enable Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, the Biden administration is endorsing a divide-and-conquer strategy that perpetuates Israeli impunity and widespread devastation across the region.”  Israel’s actions in Lebanon and Gaza are not isolated conflicts but manifestations of the same strategy of systemic violence and occupation. Over the past year, Israel’s assaults in Lebanon have killed more than 3,700 people, including at least 230 children, and injured more than 15,000. This devastation has displaced at least 1.3 million Lebanese, destroyed entire villages, and destroyed critical infrastructure vital to societal life in Lebanon. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel’s siege and relentless bombardment continues to decimate entire communities, killing and maiming hundreds of thousands and perpetuating what many international institutions and human rights organizations recognize as a genocide. To separate these atrocities into different narratives is a cynical ploy to shield Israel from accountability. There can be no real ceasefire in Lebanon without an immediate and simultaneous ceasefire in Gaza. These are not two wars—they are one campaign of state violence targeting Palestinians and their neighbors. The Lebanese and Palestinian people deserve more than fleeting pauses in violence—they deserve justice, dignity, and an end to occupation. “It is time for the United States to stop funding and enabling Israel’s war crimes and to align its policies with human rights and international law,” Abuirshaid concluded. A true ceasefire must respect the sovereignty of Lebanon, end the occupation in Gaza, and confront the unified nature of Israeli state violence. In solidarity,
Americans for Justice in Palestine Action |
