The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called the reported looting of Gaza by the forces of the far-right Israeli government a “symptom of genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
Israeli media reports that the “stealing Palestinian property has become totally routine in the Gaza war, with minimal pushback from commanders.”
“Indeed, since the start of Israel’s ground invasion in late October, soldiers have been taking whatever they can get their hands on from the homes of Palestinians who have been forced to flee. More than an open secret, the phenomenon has been widely — and uncritically — reported in the Israeli media, while rabbis from the Religious Zionist movement have been answering soldiers’ questions about what is permissible to loot according to Jewish law.”
SEE: Israeli Soldiers’ Looting in Gaza Is Part of the Revenge – Haaretz
In a statement, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said:
“The reported widespread looting from Palestinian properties destroyed by the forces of the far-right Israeli government in Gaza – and the apparent acceptance of that looting by Israeli military and religious leaders – is yet another symptom of the genocide and ethnic cleansing targeting the entire Palestinian people.
“These and other war crimes, which sickeningly seem to be celebrated by the Israeli government, must be condemned by the Biden administration and the international community.”
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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