The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today responded to President Biden’s statement that the Israeli government’s campaign in Gaza has been “over the top” by calling on the administration to take concrete action to stop the violence.
During a press conference last night, President Biden said the Israeli government’s campaign in Gaza was “over the top” and that he was seeking a sustained pause in fighting. Also last night, the White House issued a memorandum expressing the need for “adequate safeguards and accountability” with regards to weapons and materiel exported to foreign countries.
SEE: Biden says Israel’s response in Gaza ‘over the top’, seeks pause in fighting
National Security Memorandum on Safeguards and Accountability With Respect to Transferred Defense Articles and Defense Services
Last week, the Biden administration announced sanctions against four Israelis involved in attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Biden’s sanctions target extremist Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians
In a statement, CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“While the Biden administration’s rhetoric on Gaza has gradually softened over the past several days, its actions have not changed. The Biden administration is not a helpless bystander to the Gaza genocide. It is enabling the violence, and the president could stop it with a phone call if he so pleased.
“In the hours after the president’s comments, Israel ordered an evacuation of Rafah ahead of a likely assault. Rafah is the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. To say that the Israeli government’s campaign in Gaza is ‘over the top’ is an understatement. It is a brutal campaign of genocide. The Biden administration must end its support for it and hold the Israeli government to account for its genocidal actions.”
Mitchell noted that Israeli snipers reportedly killed at least 21 displaced Palestinians trying to reach Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli snipers surrounded the hospital and were “shooting at every moving object.”
He also noted that according to the UN, almost 10 PERCENT of Gaza’s children under 5 years old are now acutely malnourished.
Yesterday, CAIR called on the Biden administration to demand the release of two U.S. citizens reportedly kidnapped overnight in Gaza by Israeli forces and to save other Americans trapped or held hostage in Gaza by securing a ceasefire.
SEE: CAIR Calls for Biden Admin to Secure Release of U.S. Citizens Kidnapped by Israeli Forces in Gaza
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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