The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today sent a legislative policy memo “The So-Called “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act”: An Attempt to Eradicate the West Bank and Deny Palestinian Self-Determination” exposing the dangers of the so-called “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act,” a bill that seeks to erase the West Bank to members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa ahead of an upcoming hearing titled “Understanding Judea and Samaria: Historical, Strategic, and Political Dynamics in U.S.–Israel Relations.”
SEE MEMO HERE.
That memo was also sent to state lawmakers in Oklahoma, where a new bill has been introduced attempting to impose similar language at the state level.
The memo outlines how this legislation, and parallel measures introduced at the federal, state, and local levels, seek to normalize the language of occupation, impose Israeli apartheid terminology, and rewrite long-standing U.S. policy to reflect an extremist “Israel-first” ideology. By redefining geography to serve political goals, the bill signals U.S. endorsement of illegal Israeli claims to the entirety of the West Bank while denying the rights and history of millions of Palestinians.
Shafiquil Muhshna, CAIR Government Affairs Department Coordinator, said:
“The so-called ‘Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act’ is not about semantics; it is about erasing Palestinians from the map and from history. By codifying apartheid terminology, this bill turns legislative bodies into tools for Israel-first propaganda rather than diplomacy, justice, or international law. Lawmakers must reject this attempt to legislate away Palestinian existence and deny millions of people their right to self-determination.”
Washington, D.C., based CAIR has also published an op-ed in The New Arab examining how the so-called “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act” serves as a broader blueprint for U.S. complicity in Israel’s occupation and denial of Palestinian rights.
CAIR urges lawmakers at all levels to oppose these measures and reaffirm U.S. commitments to human rights, international law, and the protection of Palestinian civilians living under occupation.
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.
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | TikTok | Website | YouTube
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
You are receiving this email due to your interest selection from commercial media databases. If you would like to join CAIR’s media list, please sign up here: https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters — For more information, email: [email protected], CC [email protected]
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]