The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today strongly condemned former President Bill Clinton’s “insulting and Islamophobic” attempt to justify the Israeli government’s ongoing attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“Bill Clinton’s callous and dishonest attempt to justify the Israeli government’s attacks on civilians in Gaza was as insulting as it was Islamophobic. It is completely unacceptable to dismissively reference Islam and falsely claim that every Palestinian man, woman and child killed by Israel was a human shield. Even President Biden admitted months ago that the Israeli government has engaged in indiscriminate bombing in Gaza. Prominent leaders like Bill Clinton should be upholding Palestinian human rights, not rationalizing war crimes against Palestinian civilians.”
BACKGROUNDER:
While in Michigan, Clinton criticized Palestinian and Arab-Americans who oppose the Biden-Harris Administration’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed at least that 43,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and rendered much of Gaza uninhabitable.
In a speech yesterday, Clinton argued that Israel was justified in not keeping “score” of civilian casualty counts in Gaza due to Hamas’ October 7th attack. He also claimed civilians have been killed because they were used as human shields despite the fact the Israeli government has engaged in what even President Biden admitted was “indiscriminate” bombing, destroying mosques, churches, schools, hospitals, and refugee camps.
He also justified Biden administration’s support for the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza by arguing that Israelis had lived near Gaza since “before [Islam] existed,” citing King David and referring to the Holy Land as “Judea and Samaria,” a term used by far-right Israelis who oppose a Palestinian state. Clinton stated that President Biden was fulfilling his “duty” to Israel by providing unconditional military support.
NOTE: As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, CAIR does not endorse or oppose candidates for office and makes no claims as to the favorability of one candidate being elected over another.
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