The Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CT) today applauded Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal for voting in support of S. Res. 852, seeking transparency into Israeli human rights abuses against Americans and Palestinians pursuant to Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The Connecticut Senators voted alongside 46 Senate colleagues in favor of advancing the resolution.
Introduced by Sen. Van Hollen (D-MD) and championed alongside Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Bernie Sanders (D-VT), the measure would require the State Department to provide Congress with an unclassified report addressing killings and detentions of American citizens, abuses against Palestinian children in Israeli military custody, and U.S. efforts to secure accountability.
The Senate rejected the motion to advance the resolution from the Foreign Relations Committee by 47-51.
CAIR-CT Chairman Farhan Memon said: “Tuesday night’s vote sends a powerful message to AIPAC and every organization working to shield the Israeli government’s crimes that the days of treating your approval as a prerequisite for defending human rights are ending. We commend Senators Murphy and Blumenthal for standing with Senator Chris Van Hollen and 44 other colleagues who recognize their responsibility in demanding Israel not be exempt from accountability over its reprehensible human rights record. We thank them for listening to constituents and voting to demand answers denied to too many families.”
Last year CAIR-CT worked with the family of Intifada Abdelghani, a U.S. citizen from Meriden, Connecticut. She and her 14-year-old son Musa were detained and barred from leaving Israel in August 2025 while they were on a summer vacation in the West Bank Israeli authorities rejected their U.S. passports, interrogated them for 13 hours, and targeted them because of their Palestinian heritage and the mother’s name, Intifada. The family was permitted to return home in September 2025 after the intervention of Senator Blumenthal and Representative Jahanna Hayes.
S. Res. 852 invokes Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. If adopted, it would require a report within 30 days examining Israeli human rights practices and the American government’s response, including:
- Information about Americans killed in the occupied West Bank, the progress of investigations, and steps taken to hold those responsible accountable.
- The detention of American citizens by Israeli authorities, including the grounds for detention and credible allegations of mistreatment.
- The military detention of Palestinian children and allegations of torture and abuse.
- Whether American assistance has benefited Israeli units implicated in gross human rights violations and what U.S. officials have done in response.
Failure to provide the required report within the statutory period could trigger restrictions on covered security assistance.
CAIR-CT calls on Senators Murphy and Blumenthal to keep putting Americans’ interests first. We call on them to listen to the larger community in Connecticut and see how support for the genocide has cost Americans a lot at home and globally.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
For more information contact: Farhan Memon, Chairman CAIR-CT 203-517-6526 or [email protected]