(WASHINGTON, DC – 12/4/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said a new report by Heritage for Peace detailing Israel’s ongoing destruction of Palestinian cultural sites shows its desire to entirely “eliminate Palestinian existence.”
That report details the destruction or damage done to more than 100 cultural landmarks in Gaza in recent weeks. Sites targeted in the Israel campaign of ethnic cleansing of Gaza include the Great Omari Mosque, the Church of Saint Porphyrius, a 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery and the Rafah Museum.
SEE: More than 100 Gaza heritage sites have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/03/1216200754/gaza-heritage-sites-destroyed-israel
Israel has killed almost 16,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children in Gaza in recent weeks. Many more have been killed by Israeli occupation forces and illegal settlers in the West Bank.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“The ongoing destruction of Palestinian civilian institutions and cultural sites such as museums, cemeteries, universities, schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and various public facilities clearly shows that the Israeli apartheid government is seeking to eliminate Palestinian existence in Gaza and the West Bank—just as Israeli leaders have repeatedly threatened.
“Deliberate destruction of symbols of Palestinian culture and society is a necessary step in Israel’s decades-long campaign to dehumanize the Palestinian people and deny their existence.
“Our own government and political leaders share the blame for excusing or even collaborating in this attempt at cultural extinction.”
The Israeli government’s top leaders have declared that there are no innocent civilians in Gaza, justified cutting off water, electricity and other basic necessities because Palestinians are ‘human animals,’ embraced an ancient biblical verse about the mass slaughter of an entire city from animals to infants, demanded a million residents of northern Gaza leave their homes or face death, and announced that the aim of the bombing in Gaza was destruction rather than accuracy.
Yesterday, CAIR questioned whether Western leaders even regard Palestinians as “human” after more than 700 women, children and men were massacred by Israel within just the last 24 hours.
Previously, CAIR condemned the latest “Israeli war crime of the day” after more than 100 men, women and children were killed in the bombing of residential buildings hosting displaced families in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp.
CAIR also condemned the Biden administration for giving the Israeli government the “green light” to resume bombing Gaza and called on the United States to join other governments in demanding the resumption of the ceasefire and negotiations to secure a just, lasting peace.
[NOTE: More than 100,000 Americans have used CAIR’s action alert to contact their members of Congress and call for an end to the violence and the renewal of U.S.-led efforts to end the occupation. SEE: Urge Your Members of Congress to Address Root Cause of Mideast Violence]
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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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