CAIR

“Successful indeed are those who purify themselves, remember the Name of their Lord, and pray. But you (deniers only) prefer the life of this world, even though the Hereafter is far better and more lasting.” The Noble Quran, 87:14-17

The apartheid Israeli government’s seizure of authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque is yet another attempt to consolidate its illegal occupation of Palestinian land, undermine Palestinian self-governance, and alter the historic status of one of Islam’s holiest sites. This action follows a long pattern of efforts to restrict Muslim access to sacred places, expand illegal settlements, and entrench a system of permanent occupation and dispossession.

The international community must reject this latest escalation and hold the Israeli government accountable for actions that violate international law and further diminish prospects for a just and lasting peace. Holy sites must be protected from political manipulation, annexation, and unilateral actions that inflame tensions and threaten religious freedom.

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Israel is not a normal security partner. It is a government currently facing credible allegations of genocide, apartheid, war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, torture, starvation policies, and the unlawful targeting of civilians. As Gaza lies in ruins and Palestinians continue to face displacement, siege, military occupation, and systematic deprivation, Congress should be working to end American complicity, not expanding it.

We welcome the principled and brave stance taken by medical organizations worldwide demanding Israel be suspended from the World Medical Association. Over the course of its brutal genocide in Gaza, Israel has repeatedly targeted, killed and kidnapped medical personnel and denied Palestinians desperately-needed medical attention. Any medical organization that legitimated these atrocities has broken its oath and must be condemned.

We welcome any diplomatic agreement that ends the threat of war between the United States and Iran and prevents further pointless bloodshed, instability, and suffering throughout the region. Diplomacy, dialogue, and respect for international law must always take precedence over military confrontation.

At the same time, policymakers and the international community must remain vigilant against efforts by the rogue Israeli government to sabotage prospects for regional peace through continued violence and provocation. The ongoing mass killing, forced displacement, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza and the illegally-occupied West Bank, as well as repeated attacks in Lebanon and elsewhere, threaten to ignite further conflict and undermine diplomatic progress.

A durable peace in the Middle East requires more than preventing a war with Iran. It also requires ending Israel’s genocide in Gaza, stopping illegal settlement expansion and ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank, respecting the sovereignty of neighboring nations, and ensuring justice, freedom, and human rights for the Palestinian people. In addition, Israel must withdraw from the occupied territories of Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria.

Palestinians are not a punchline and their existence is not up for debate. Palestine exists. Palestinian children exist. Palestinian families exist. Palestinian history, culture, land, identity and rights exist. To deny the existence of Palestine is not comedy, commentary or political opinion. It is dehumanization.

When a public figure like Jerry Seinfeld denies Palestinian existence, that racist rhetoric contributes to a climate in which Palestinian suffering is ignored and Palestinian rights are treated as disposable. This is the same logic that has long been used to erase Indigenous peoples, justify occupation and normalize apartheid.

“The (true) servants of the Most Compassionate are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the foolish address them (improperly), they only respond with (words of) peace.” The Noble Quran, 25:63

“Whatever (pleasure) you have been given is no more than (a fleeting) enjoyment and adornment of this worldly life. But what is with God is far better and more lasting. Will you not then understand?” The Noble Quran, 28:60