The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today sent a letter to all members of Congress saying it is “now or never” for elected officials to speak out against Israel’s clear genocidal plan to “flatten and occupy” Gaza and finish the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.
In a letter sent to congressional offices, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said in part:
“We write this open letter to every member of Congress with an urgent request: Please vocally speak out against the start of the Israeli government’s plan to ‘occupy and flatten’ Gaza while herding any surviving Palestinians into camps before eventually expelling them from their land.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has declared that there is ‘no way’ Israel will stop the war, even if all hostages are released, and he has vowed to completely reoccupy Gaza and force remaining Palestinians off their land. His cabinet has formally approved a full-scale ground invasion and permanent military occupation of the Gaza Strip. One senior Israeli minister openly stated that Gaza will be ‘completely destroyed.’
“This is it. Now or never. We implore you to condemn Netanyahu’s plan, demand a permanent end to this genocidal war, and pledge to oppose further weapons sales to the Israeli government unless its human rights abuses stop…
“Netanyahu has made clear what he plans to do: Destroy Gaza and ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people, even if it means starving and slaughtering the Israeli hostages along with them.
“Please speak up forcefully and demand an end to this madness before there is no one left to save.”
Earlier today, CAIR welcomed a Senate resolution signed by 28 senators that calls for the Trump administration to pursue an end to Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid and the war on Gaza.
Also today, CAIR urged the U.S. House Representatives to cosponsor and support H.Res. 409, a resolution introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) recognizing the 77th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba and affirming the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Israel has slaughtered more than 53,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.
Yesterday, CAIR condemned the Israeli slaughter of more than 100 Palestinians on the day marking the 77th anniversary of the Nakba (May 15), during which Israeli forces carried out the ethnic cleansing of most of Palestine in 1948.
CAIR’s condemnation comes as Human Rights Watch said today that Israel’s total blockade of Gaza, in place since March 2, has become “a tool of extermination.”
Earlier this week, CAIR condemned the Israeli government’s escalating slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, including at least 22 children, as a “transparent attempt to sabotage” the Trump administration’s recent push to restart ceasefire negotiations and pursue an end to other regional conflicts.
CAIR also condemned the latest Israeli deadly bombings of Gaza hospitals as indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu says half of Gazans will be ethnically cleansed and there is “no way” Israel will halt its genocide in Gaza, even if a ceasefire is achieved.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR called on the Trump administration to drop U.S.-Israeli efforts to force starving Palestinians in Gaza into de facto concentration camps surrounded by the Israeli military in order to receive food and other humanitarian aid after the release of a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IFSPC) stating that Gaza’s entire population is at imminent risk of famine.
CAIR also condemned the “systematic abuse and torture” that Gaza detainees face in Israeli prisons as outlined in a report released today. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) report says that abuse is “an integral component of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.”
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