The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today condemned the decision by more than a dozen senators, including California Senator Adam Schiff, to meet with wanted war criminal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent trip to Washington, D.C.
SEE:
- Bipartisan Group of Senators Meets With Netanyahu Despite ICC Arrest Warrant
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with congressional leaders
On Wednesday, July 9, the bipartisan group met with Netanyahu to “discuss bringing American hostages home from Gaza and building off of [President Donald Trump’s] leadership to restore peace and security in the region,” according to South Dakota Senator John Thune. During the trip, Netanyahu also reportedly met with Trump to discuss a proposal for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
The meeting comes as Netanyahu’s government escalates efforts to forcibly remove all Palestinians from Gaza, either through mass killing or displacement. Just this week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he had instructed the military to prepare plans to confine the entire population of Gaza in a restricted zone from which they would not be permitted to leave—a chilling proposal that has drawn widespread condemnation for its resemblance to a concentration camp.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Neither Israel nor the U.S. is a signatory to the ICC, and both have denounced the issuance of the warrants.
In a statement, CAIR-CA Legislative & Government Affairs Director Oussama Mokeddem said:
“Senator Adam Schiff’s decision to join a meeting with wanted war criminal Netanyahu is shameful and deeply disappointing. His participation is especially disturbing considering recent reports that Israel’s defense leadership is planning to forcibly confine the entire population of Gaza to what is essentially a concentration camp.
“For more than 20 months, we have witnessed Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, and any meetings by elected officials with Netanyahu only serve to legitimize Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians and further our government’s complicity.”
CAIR-CA’s Los Angeles office (CAIR-LA) previously urged California congressional members to boycott Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress last year. CAIR-LA sent a letter to Congressional Delegation Members from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties urging them not to attend Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress and publicly condemn the decision of both the Democratic and Republican party leaders who invited him to speak.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza has killed at least 57,000 Palestinian civilians, a majority of whom are women and children. Approximately 1.5 million people have been forcibly displaced and are facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis as Israel continues to cut off food, water, electricity, and medicine to Gaza.
CAIR-CA is a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Los Angeles Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California Communications Contact Tasneem Manjra, (916) 441-6469, tManjra@cair.com; CAIR San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam, (760) 201-7626, tnizam@cair.com; CAIR San Francisco/Bay Area Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, (408) 498-5779, ladam@cair.com