The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed deep concern that President Biden is either misstating his own policy on Gaza or receiving incorrect information from White House’s national security staff after he made numerous false statements about Gaza during a recent interview.
During an interview with Complex, President Biden appeared to claim that he had blocked the transfer of all offensive weapons to the Israeli government, saying, he “denied them offensive weapons, 2,000-pound bombs and the rest.” Biden claimed that Saudi Arabia had called him and offered to recognize Israel in exchange for the establishment of a civil nuclear energy program without mentioning the requirement of irrevocable, time-bound steps toward a Palestinian state.
Biden also claimed that he “did more for the Palestinian community than anybody,” “opened up all the assets” and “made sure the Egyptians opened up the border to let goods through.”
Even before October 7, the Israeli government severely restricted the entry of goods from Egypt into Gaza and continues to do so. Israel has also continues to receive billions of dollars worth of U.S. weapons, including 500 pound bombs, from the United States that it has used on civilian areas during the course of the war.
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We are increasingly concerned that President Biden is either misstating his own Gaza policy or, worse, receiving incorrect information from his staff. Contrary to the President’s claims, he has not stopped sending offensive weapons to the Israeli government nor has Saudia Arabia offered to normalize relations with Israel absent steps toward a Palestinian state.
“As for the President’s claim that he has ‘done more for the Palestinian community than anybody,’ this tone deaf and deeply disturbing boast completely ignores the genocidal campaign of mass slaughter, ethnic cleansing, and forced starvation that the Israeli government has launched against the Palestinian people with U.S. support. Even before the latest war, the Israeli government maintained a strict economic blockade of Gaza, killed Palestinians like Shireen Abu Akleh with impunity, and seized Palestinian land at will.
“It is critical for President Biden to accurately explain the situation in Gaza, including his administration’s ongoing support for the Israeli government’s genocidal war crimes, and it is even more important for the National Security Staff at the White House to give President Biden complete and accurate information about the stance of foreign governments like Saudi Arabia and the war crimes the Israeli government is committing on a daily basis in violation of the President’s Rafah red line.
“If President Biden truly wants to do something for the Palestinian community at this late stage, he would end all military aid to the Israeli government, demand a real and immediate ceasefire in Gaza and support international efforts to hold Netanyahu and other war criminals in the Israeli government accountable for their crimes.”
Mitchell also condemned the killing of 48 Palestinians, among them children, in Israeli airstrikes on schools in Gaza and the killing more than 60 Palestinians in southern and central Gaza overnight and into Tuesday by Israeli airstrikes.
SEE: Children among 48 killed in Israeli air attacks on Gaza IDP site, school
Israeli strikes in southern, central Gaza kill more than 60 Palestinians, including in ‘safe zone’
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@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