Muslim civil rights group move is another attack on Palestinian rights, religious freedom, and international law
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the Israeli government’s seizure of planning and construction authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron, calling the move another attack on Palestinian rights, religious freedom, and international law.
According to news reports, Israeli authorities have assumed control over planning and construction matters at the historic mosque, ending arrangements established under the 1997 Hebron Agreement.
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“The apartheid Israeli government’s seizure of authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque is yet another attempt to consolidate its illegal occupation of Palestinian land, undermine Palestinian self-governance, and alter the historic status of one of Islam’s holiest sites. This action follows a long pattern of efforts to restrict Muslim access to sacred places, expand illegal settlements, and entrench a system of permanent occupation and dispossession.”
“The international community must reject this latest escalation and hold the Israeli government accountable for actions that violate international law and further diminish prospects for a just and lasting peace. Holy sites must be protected from political manipulation, annexation, and unilateral actions that inflame tensions and threaten religious freedom.”
CAIR has repeatedly condemned Israeli measures targeting the Ibrahimi Mosque.
In 1994, an illegal Israeli settler massacred 29 worshipers at the mosque, which has been subjected to restrictions and measures that have steadily reduced Muslim control and access.
Yesterday, CAIR welcomed calls from international medical groups for Israel to be suspended from the World Medical Association.
END
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