Muslim Americans Speak Out on Gaza: ‘Mr. President, You Failed Us’

WASHINGTON (KI) – Arab, Muslim and Palestinian rights advocates in the United States have denounced Washington’s unconditional support for the Zionist regimes’ war in Gaza, decrying the “dehumanization” of Palestinians by media outlets and politicians.

Speaking at a news conference, representatives of several advocacy groups also sounded the alarm about the prospect of hate incidents against Arab and Muslim Americans.
Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), slammed President Joe Biden, accusing him of failing to recognize the Palestinians’ humanity.
“You are not helping,” Awad said, speaking as if he were addressing Biden himself. “You are, in fact, giving the green light for Israel to commit a genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. You failed us as American citizens. You failed us as Palestinians. And you failed the world community.”
Biden, a self-described Zionist, has consistently voiced support for the occupying regime. In a speech this week, the president pledged to ensure that the occupying regime has the military needs to “defend itself”, while barely mentioning the Palestinian civilians under bombardment in Gaza.
“We call on you, Mr President, to put an end to this violence. You have the ability and power to prevent a mass crime and genocide from happening,” Awad said.
The war erupted on October 7 when the Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched a highly coordinated operation against the occupying regime from the besieged Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of people and taking dozens captive.
In addition, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the occupying regime of using white phosphorus in violation of international law, which prohibits the use of the highly incendiary munitions in populated areas like Gaza, a narrow strip of land home to 2.3 million people.
Early on Friday, the occupying regime ordered more than 1.1 million Palestinians there — nearly half of the territory’s population — to move to south within 24 hours, sparking further outrage from rights groups.
At the news conference in Washington, DC, Awad, who is Palestinian American, stressed the need to address the historical context of the conflict.
Leading rights groups, like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have said the occupying regime is imposing a system of apartheid on Palestinians.