The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the introduction of H.Res. 876, the “Resolution Recognizing the Genocide of the Palestinian People in Gaza,” championed by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) and joined by 20 original co-sponsors recognizing that the Israeli government is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
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SEE: Tlaib Introduces Resolution Recognizing the Genocide of the Palestinian People in Gaza
The resolution calls for the United States to meet its binding obligations under the Genocide Convention by halting all relevant arms and equipment transfers to Israel; supporting international investigations into individuals and corporations implicated in genocide; complying with the orders of the International Court of Justice and the work of the International Criminal Court; and imposing lawful, targeted sanctions on those responsible for committing or facilitating genocidal acts. The organization urged lawmakers from both parties to support the measure and called on the U.S. Senate to introduce an immediate companion bill.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“We applaud Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and every original co-sponsor of this resolution for their courage, their clarity, and their commitment to telling the truth about the genocide unfolding in Gaza.
“Will lawmakers continue enabling Israel’s genocide, military occupation, and apartheid system or finally break from the cycle of sending U.S. tax dollars and weapons transfers that fuel this immoral violence?
“Recognizing the genocide in Gaza is only the beginning. Local governments and state legislatures will be encouraged to introduce and pass similar genocide-recognition resolutions nationwide throughout the coming year.
“Communities everywhere must have the opportunity to speak clearly against genocide, apartheid, and military occupation, demand an end to U.S. weapons transfers, and call for real consequences for governments and corporations involved in these atrocities.
“This cycle of violence must end now.”
Next week, CAIR will launch a nationwide action alert urging Americans in every congressional district to demand passage of the resolution, call for an end to all U.S. weapons transfers to Israel, and press the Senate to introduce a companion measure.
Independent Findings Confirm Genocide
CAIR highlighted that numerous credible human rights bodies – U.S.-based, international, Palestinian, and Israeli – have independently concluded that Israel’s assault on Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide. These include:
• United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry
• International Association of Genocide Scholars
• Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Doctors Without Borders
• Palestinian organizations including Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
• Israeli groups including B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel
Experts estimate that more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, hundreds of thousands injured, and entire neighborhoods destroyed. And all likelihood the exact number of dead will exceed well over 100,000.
Israel’s deliberate targeting of hospitals, aid convoys, sanitation systems, and food distribution networks has produced the world’s most extreme fully man-made famine. Repeated attacks on aid seekers and medical teams demonstrate a clear pattern of genocidal intent.
Rooted in Apartheid and Occupation
CAIR noted that the genocide in Gaza is inseparable from decades of apartheid, settlement expansion, and military occupation imposed on Palestinians across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. These systems were extensively documented well before the current assault by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israel’s own B’Tselem.
Original Congressional Co-Sponsors
The resolution is sponsored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) and co-sponsored by: Becca Balint (VT-AL); André Carson (IN-07Greg Casar (TX-35); Maxine Dexter (OR-03); Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10); Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04); Al Green (TX-09); Pramila Jayapal (WA-07); Henry “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04); Ro Khanna (CA-17); Summer Lee (PA-12); Jim McGovern (MA-02); Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14); Ilhan Omar (MN-05); Mark Pocan (WI-02); Ayanna Pressley (MA-07); Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03); Lateefah Simon (CA-12); Nydia Velázquez (NY-07); and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).
Endorsing Organizations
Over 100 civil society organizations have endorsed the resolution, including CAIR, along with major human rights groups, faith coalitions, anti-war networks, legal advocacy groups, Palestinian rights organizations, and national community organizations calling for an end to U.S. support for genocide, apartheid, and occupation.
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