The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the Biden administration to treat the lives of Palestinians and Israelis as equally valuable by condemning the murder of a 58-year-old Palestinian man from the West Bank whose body was returned to his family with clear signs of torture after two hours in Israeli custody and by forcing Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire that ends the Gaza genocide and frees all hostages and political prisoners.
Israeli forces raided the home of 58-year-old Ayman Abed on Monday morning and returned body to his family two hours later covered in marks that indicated he had been tortured and beaten in custody.
CAIR has repeatedly condemned the Israeli government’s systematic torture of Palestinian, most recently condemning the torture of children in Gaza as documented in a new report from a human rights organization.
The Washington, D.C., based civil rights organization also condemned the far-right Israeli government’s systematic campaign of collective punishment, destruction of civilian infrastructure and killing of Palestinians in the West Bank, including driving a military vehicle over the body of a dead civilian.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“Enough. Now is the time for President Biden to stop his financial, military and diplomatic support for the Israeli government in order to force Netanyahu to stop his escalating war crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza and now even the Occupied West Bank.
“Every innocent human life matters, whether Palestinian, Israeli or American, but our government’s policies and rhetoric say otherwise. President Biden must finally start to treat Palestinians as human beings who deserve the same rights as all other people.
“Just as President Biden clearly and passionately condemned the killing of Israeli hostages, he should clearly and passionately condemn the torture-murder of this 58-year-old Palestinian man from the West Bank and the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, as well as numerous Israeli hostages, in Gaza.
“If President Biden instead lets Netanyahu continue his self-serving war of annihilation, he will further endanger the millions of Palestinian people trapped in Gaza, the over 90 Israeli and other hostages still held captive there, and the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners facing torture in Israeli prisons at this very moment.
“President Biden should have used his leverage to end the genocide and force a ceasefire and hostage release deal on Netanyahu many months ago. Instead, the Biden administration sent more bombs for the far-right Israeli government to drop on Palestinians. Until he takes action to stop Netanyahu, President Biden will continue to be his partner in genocide. He must change course now, before more innocent people die.”
Awad also welcomed President Biden’s recognition today that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough on for the release of captives and said Biden must match his words with action.
Last week, CAIR condemned Israel’s systematic destruction of the civilian infrastructure in the occupied West Bank as part of the far-right Israeli government’s campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Israeli bulldozers systematically destroy streets in the West Bank to make the area unlivable for Palestinians. Illegal Israeli settlers routinely destroy homes and property, often with the protection of the Israeli military. Residents are facing food and water shortages.
Video: Israeli army raids West Bank as bulldozers destroy streets
SEE: Israeli settlers storm West Bank village, setting cars and homes ablaze – CNN
Also week, CAIR said President Biden must “take the keys” away from far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the death toll in the occupied West Bank reached at least 662 and Israel announced it will conduct ethnic cleansing operations in the West Bank similar to those underway in Gaza.
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 National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com