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Protection of Palestinian-Americans Under Attack by Israeli Settlers
6-21-2023
– The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the U.S. Department of State to take concrete actions to protect Palestinian-American under attack by Israeli settlers.
In a letter to Yael Lempert, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and Hady Amr, Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw wrote in part:
“On behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), we urgently request the intervention of the U.S. State Department to ensure the immediate safety and security of the hundreds of Palestinian American citizens and thousands of Palestinian residents affected by recent violent Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank.
“On Tuesday night, a mass attack on Palestinians unfolded in the northern area of the West Bank from Turmus Ayya, east of Ramallah, to Deir Sharaf, west of Nablus. Israeli settlers carried out a series of vicious attacks terrorizing the Palestinian population.
“Several Palestinian Americans have reached out to CAIR expressing grave concerns for the safety of other Palestinian Americans who are vacationing in the region during the summer, as well as for their own family members. One of these concerned individuals that shared the attached videos sent CAIR the following message: ‘Setters are terrorizing my village, Turmusayya. There are several hundred American citizens who are there for the summer. Including my parents, sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews.’…
“We urge the U.S. State Department to take concrete action to ensure that the Israeli government protects the safety, security, and protection of all individuals affected by these Israeli settler attacks, including Palestinian Americans. It is crucial that the State Department emphasize the need for swift and decisive action to protect all individuals from further harm and violence, and the criminal prosecution of those responsible for the violence. The lives and well-being of innocent Palestinians, including Palestinian Americans, hang in the balance, and their safety should be paramount in any U.S. diplomatic discourse…”
CAIR called on the Biden administration to take action after the Israeli government approved plans to expedite the construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Last week, CAIR called on the Biden administration to demand “real justice” after an announcement that Israeli soldiers will not face criminal prosecution for the death of an elderly Palestinian-American man who they dragged from a car, bound and left unresponsive on the ground overnight after apparently suffering a heart attack.
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