Members of an anti-war veterans group joined U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-ºüÀêÊÓƵ, on Thursday to call for an immediate ceasefire in the embattled Gaza Strip.
Veterans with About Face joined Bush outside the U.S. Capitol to demand American leaders push for the ceasefire and end financial and military support for Israeli military operations.
They were joined by Rep. Delia Ramirez D-Ill., and Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., who are among a small minority of Congressional Democrats backing a resolution Bush introduced Oct. 16 calling for a cease-fire and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Bush on Thursday thanked the veterans group for “joining the righteous antiwar push for peace.â€
“Veterans know the true cost of war, the lives lost, the families shattered, and the communities scarred,†she said. “They know the devastation that we are seeing now in Gaza and in Israel.â€
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The veterans with About Face, who served in U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, said the military invasions further destabilized the countries without guaranteeing greater security and peace.
Israel’s military attacks on Gaza will lead to the same outcome, said one veteran, Lyle Jeremy Rubin, a former marine officer who served in Afghanistan.
“Today I stand here with every fiber of my being to insist the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza and in the West Bank will not bring anyone emancipation,†Rubin said.
“After 20 years of fighting our own war on terror, and after hundreds of thousands of dead,†Rubin continued, “have we still not learned it’s impossible to kill one’s way to safety, to freedom?â€
Bush has been heavily criticized for her comments since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed about 1,400 people.
Last week, a coalition of 34 ºüÀêÊÓƵ-area Jewish organizations and leaders called on Bush “to stop this incendiary language about Israel, apologize to the Jewish community in ºüÀêÊÓƵ and engage in honest and accountable dialogue about the issues related to Israel and the Palestinian people.â€
Bush’s office replied that she has repeatedly denounced Hamas’ attacks, and that she “continues to mourn the immense loss of life as a result of the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine.â€