Muslim civil rights group also condemns 1,300 Israeli settlers storming Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under Israeli occupation police protection
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil-rights and advocacy organization, today said a reported congressional resolution led by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) that would recognize Israeli “sovereignty” over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem is just a “dangerous publicity stunt.”
For over a millennium, Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, has remained under uninterrupted Muslim stewardship. That status was reaffirmed by the 1994 Wadi Araba Agreement between Israel and Jordan, which grants the Hashemite Kingdom custodianship of the Haram al-Sharif/Al-Aqsa compound. The proposed resolution seeks to undermine that treaty framework by granting Israel a political green light to override the existing custodial arrangement.
CAIR further highlighted mounting evidence of serious incursions: According to the Jordanian press outlet Jordan News, more than 1,300 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa compound in successive groups, conducted so-called “tours,” and performed religious rituals under heavy protection of Israeli terrorist military forces.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“’Israel-first’ extremists in Congress continue to push legislation that treats the Holy Land as a stage for prophecy rather than a place of peace. This resolution is nothing more than a dangerous publicity stunt designed to pander to genocide supporters and religious extremists.”
“When combined with these documented incursions by illegal Israeli settlers, this resolution threatens to degrade U.S. credibility as a mediator, escalate religious tensions, and undermine internationally-recognized treaties and the fragile status quo at one of the world’s most sensitive religious sites.”
CAIR calls on members of Congress to immediately:
- Reject the proposed resolution in its entirety;
- Defend the sanctity of all holy sites in Jerusalem from political, colonial, and theological exploitation.
CAIR also reiterates its broader call for the U.S. government to end unconditional military and diplomatic support for Israel’s occupation policies and to uphold international law, including United Nations resolutions affirming Jerusalem’s special status.
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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