(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 6/26/2024) – The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) for meeting with “genocidal war criminal” Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a statement, CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu said:
“It is shameful that a senator from our state would meet with and express support for a genocidal war criminal like Benjamin Netanyahu. This is an individual who is currently conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing, forced starvation and genocide targeting the Palestinian people. Senator Fetterman should hang his head in shame when he returns to our state. But given his past uncritical support for the far-right Israeli government’s genocide, that expression of morality and humanity seems unlikely.”
In May, CAIR’s national office called on the Biden administration to respect and not interfere with the “clear and credible” arrest warrant applications that the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor is seeking against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant.
CAIR is calling on elected officials to boycott an address by Netanyahu before Congress next month.
CAIR Action Alert: Tell Congress to Boycott or Protest War Criminal Netanyahu’s July 24th Speech
Tekelioglu noted that earlier today, CAIR’s said a new report by Scripps News and Bellingcat shows that Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza is seeking to erase Palestinian culture.
Yesterday, CAIR questioned whether the Biden administration has a “shred of humanity” as the UN says more than half a million Palestinians on the brink of starvation and new Israeli-U.S. massacres burned Palestinian babies alive. Some Palestinians have been reduced to eating leaves from trees. Israel has slaughtered more than 37,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
[NOTE: CAIR is now using the term “Israeli-U.S.” to describe war crimes in Gaza because the Biden administration’s ongoing provision of political support, money and weapons to the Israeli government despite President Biden’s violated “red lines” makes the U.S. intentionally complicit in the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians. SEE: The Night Won’t End: Biden’s War on Gaza.]
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-Philadelphia Executive Director Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, PhD, 617-401-5397 (mobile), atekelioglu@cair.com.
