(Washington, D.C. – 10/18/2023) – The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), the nation’s largest umbrella group of national, regional, and local Muslim associations, today said that President Biden’s full embrace of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel gave the far-right, racist leader a “green light” to continue committing war crimes against Palestinians. USCMO also called on Americans of all faiths to unite this Saturday in Washington, DC on the National Mall for a protest to demand an end to the violence.
During a visit to Israel today, President Biden warmly embraced Netanyahu, expressed full support for the Israeli government’s ongoing attacks on Gaza, and failed to call for a ceasefire or condemn the ongoing killing of Palestinian civilians.
In a statement, USCMO Secretary-General Oussama Jammal said:
“President Biden’s visit could not have been more disastrous for prospects of a just and peaceful resolution to either the ongoing crisis and the longstanding injustice of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
“By warmly embracing and strongly supporting Benjamin Netanyahu racist, far-right government, President Biden gave Israel a green light to continue openly committing against Palestinian civilians, including bombing apartment buildings, hospitals, marketplaces, mosques, schools, and UN-run shelters while maintaining a medieval siege of Gaza, threatening to ethnically cleanse northern half of the territory, and shooting Palestinian protesters in the West Bank.”
“It has now become clear that if the American people are going to convince the Biden administration to stop the Israeli government’s war crimes in Gaza, we will have to raise our voices more loudly together, across religious and racial lines.
“We applaud the Jewish-Americans, Palestinian-Americans, Muslim Americans and others who have been standing for justice at schools, protests, and in the halls of Congress. We encourage everyone who cares about justice for all to join us in Washington, DC on the National Mall this Saturday, Oct. 21st, to make our voices heard, from DC all the way to Gaza.”
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