The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the United Nations to investigate the alleged theft of Palestinian archeological artifacts in Gaza by invading Israeli forces.
Israel has now killed more than 25,000 Gazans, mostly women and children. Looting and theft (including theft of bodies) by Israeli forces in Gaza has been widely reported.
Eli Escusido, the director of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, reportedly shared a video online providing evidence of the theft of the artifacts.
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi responded to the video, saying: “Not only does it want to crush our present & destroy our future, Israel is attempting to obliterate our past. Cultural heritage sites in Gaza have been deliberately targeted, & in the West Bank Israeli occupation army & settlers are systematically raiding archeological sites.”
Yesterday, CAIR condemned other “Israeli war crimes of the day” in Gaza, including eyewitness reports of the execution of civilians by Israeli forces, reports of the “torture” of detainees and the ongoing desecration of cemeteries.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“The ongoing genocide by the far-right Israeli government in Gaza is targeting all aspects of Palestinian culture and heritage. We urge the United Nations to investigate this latest war crime of cultural theft and for the Biden administration to open its eyes to the harm its blind support for this genocide and ethnic cleansing is doing to our nation’s humanity, core values and interests worldwide.”
He noted that Israel’s far-right government has systematically destroyed religious (1,000 mosques destroyed), historical, educational, institutional, and cultural sites in Gaza.
Awad added that CAIR condemned the killing of a Palestinian-American teen by the forces of the far-right Israeli government in the occupied West Bank.
CAIR previously called on the Biden administration to condemn the far-right Israeli government’s targeted murder of journalists in Gaza.
An investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists reports at least 83 journalists and media workers were among the almost 25,000 people killed by Israel in Gaza since the war began.
CAIR also called on President Biden to condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and take action after he admitted to being opposed to the existence of a Palestinian state in any scenario.
CAIR condemned what it called the latest “Israeli war crimes of the day,” including a new call for ethnic cleansing of Gaza by a top Israeli government official, the demolition of a Gaza university, attacks near a Gaza hospital, video of Israeli troops mocking Palestinian suffering, and Israeli actions forcing women to give birth in the streets.
SEE: CAIR Condemns ‘Israeli War Crimes of the Day,’ Including New Call for Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com, CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com