The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today encouraged all Americans to contact the White House and State Department today to demand the enforcement of U.S. laws which require an immediate suspension of military assistance to the Israeli government in response to revelations shared by former Biden administration officials who resigned in protest of the Gaza genocide.
Today, two American Muslims who resigned from the Biden administration earlier this year—former State Department diplomat Hala Rharrit and former Interior Department official Maryam Hassanein—publicly spoke out about the pervasive Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism influencing U.S. policy toward the Middle East. These biases led to the dehumanization of Muslims in Gaza and beyond, as well as clear violations of U.S. law forbidding arms transfers to human rights violators. Rharitt also shared her personal experiences with Islamophobia within the U.S. government.
In a statement CAIR’s National Deputy Director, Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We applaud these American Muslim former government officials for bravely exposing the truth about the role Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism play in our nation’s Middle East policy, including U.S. support for the genocide in Gaza.
“It is long past time for President Biden to listen to the voices of conscience who left the Biden administration instead of violating the law or compromising our nation’s values. President Biden must uphold U.S. laws that forbid the transfer of military weaponry to the Israeli government.
“We urge every American to contact the White House and State Department today to send a clear and simple message: follow the law.”
The full letter that Americans can send to the White House and State Department today reads:
Greetings:
I write to join former Biden administration officials in calling on President Biden to immediately suspend the transfer of offensive weapons to the Israeli government in order to both uphold U.S. law and force Benjamin Netanyahu to end his genocidal campaign of slaughter and starvation in Gaza.
Today, two American Muslims who resigned from the Biden administration earlier this year publicly spoke out about the ways in which Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism influence U.S. policy towards the Middle East, leading to the dehumanization of Muslims in Gaza and elsewhere. Former State department diplomat Hala Rharitt also speaks about her personal experiences with Islamophobia in the workplace.
I stand in solidarity with these former officials, as well as the other American patriots who resigned their positions in opposition to the illegal U.S. support for the Israeli government’s war crimes in Gaza. It is long past time for President Biden to listen to the voices of conscience who risked their careers to stand up for our laws and what is right.
As these former officials have noted, President Biden has a sworn duty to uphold the Constitution and enforce laws duly passed by Congress, including U.S. laws related to arms transfers. Instead of finding ways to circumvent clear legal standards, the White House and the State Department must ensure the fair and transparent enforcement of Leahy Vetting, the Arms Export Control Act, and the Foreign Assistance Act.
Suspending U.S. military assistance to Israeli government due to its flagrant violations of both U.S. and international law would help redeem U.S. credibility as a nation of laws, force the Netanyahu to stop sabotaging President Biden’s permanent ceasefire proposal, and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.
The Israeli government has spent ten months using U.S. financial, military and diplomatic support to slaughter at least 40,000 men, women and children in Gaza, kill numerous Israelis and others held captive, displace two million people from their homes, and render most of Gaza uninhabitable.
This must end. The time is now for President Biden to save his legacy and stop the genocide by fulfilling his duty to uphold our laws.
END
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