The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR),the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the Biden administration to condemn the far-right Israeli government’s murder of a Palestinian-American teenager in Jerusalem as well as an overnight massacre of Palestinian civilians in Rafah, Gaza.
Defense for Children International – Palestine reports that Israeli forces shot and killed 17-year-old Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour northwest of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. Khdour was reportedly shot in the head by Israeli forces when they opened fire on the car that he was sitting in with one of his relatives.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reports that more than 100 people were killed early today in Israeli airstrikes targeting the so-called “safe area” of Rafah in Gaza. At least two mosques and a dozen homes were targeted in the strikes.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“The Biden administration has repeatedly failed to hold the far-right Israeli government accountable for attacks like last night’s Rafah massacre and even attacks on American citizens, like the assassination of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the murder of another American teenager, Tawfiq Hijazi, last month. These failures embolden the Israeli government to kill more innocent people with impunity.
“President Biden must fulfill his legal and moral duty to protect Americans around the world, and he must stop enabling genocidal war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. He should start by condemning the Israeli government’s latest atrocities and using the power of his office to secure an immediate ceasefire and then pursue a just, lasting peace by ending the occupation.”
Last month, CAIR condemned the killing of American-born 17-year-old Tawfiq Hafiz Hijazi by the forces of the far-right Israeli government in the occupied West Bank.
In December of last year, CAIR called on the State Department and FBI to investigate the shooting and detention of a 13-year-old Palestinian-American boy by Israeli forces in the West Bank.
Also last year, CAIR called on the Biden administration to demand “real justice” after an announcement that Israeli soldiers will not face criminal prosecution for the death of an elderly Palestinian-American man who they dragged from a car, bound and left unresponsive on the ground overnight after apparently suffering a heart attack.
Hundreds of relatives of American citizens have already been killed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank and noted President Biden’s refusal to meet with the family of murdered Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
SEE: CAIR-NJ Joins Palestinian Americans Who Lost 1,000+ Family Members in Israel’s War on Gaza (Video)
Video: CAIR-MN Announces Dozens of Members of Minnesota Family Killed in Gaza
Today, CAIR held a news conference with the sons of Samaher Esmail, an American citizen and grandmother from New Orleans who was recently kidnapped, beaten, and denied access to medicine by Israeli forces in the West Bank.
CAIR also called the Biden administration to demand the release of two U.S. citizens reportedly kidnapped overnight in Gaza by Israeli forces and to save other Americans trapped or held hostage in Gaza by securing a ceasefire. Israeli forces detained two American brothers – Borak Alagha, 18, and Hashem Alagha, 20, two brothers born in the Chicago area – and their Canadian father in a raid on their home in 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