CAIR-NJ Calls on Gov. Murphy to Ensure Protections for Palestinian-Americans Under Attack by Israeli Settlers

CAIR-NJ Calls on Gov. Murphy to Ensure Protections for Palestinian-Americans Under Attack by Israeli Settlers

(SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ, 07/07/2023) — The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today called on Gov. Murphy’s administration to ensure protections for Palestinian-American dual citizens under attack by Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank.       

Israeli settlers stormed the West Bank village of Turmusayya and set fire to homes and cars, where Afif Alasmar, a Clifton business owner, was visiting family. He and his family tried to reach the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for four hours.     

SEE: NJ residents say US turned its back on them when they were attacked on vacation       

Israeli settlers’ attacks in Turmusayya coincided with Israel’s deadly large-scale raid on Jenin, a Palestinian city home to one of the largest refugee camps in the Occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers killed at least seven Palestinians and injured at least two dozen others. The raid on Jenin began in the midst of Eid ul-Adha, one of two major Islamic holidays.      

SEE: Israel stages a deadly large-scale raid on Palestinian Jenin camp in the West Bank      

Videos also show the Israeli military ploughing through roads in Jenin and targeting journalists.       

SEE: Israeli bulldozer destroys Jenin street during raid    

SEE: Palestine: Journalists targeted by Israeli forces during raid in Jenin      

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said of the Israeli attacks, “obviously in this situation, there was an excessive force used by Israeli forces.”     

In a statement, CAIR-NJ Government Affairs Manager Madina P. Ouedraogo, said:      

“Between large scale, deadly raids in Jenin and the burning of cars and homes in Turmusayya — during one of the holiest times of the Islamic calendar, no less — Israeli settlers’ surge in violence in recent weeks is especially concerning. A number of Palestinian civilians have since been killed and several more injured.  

“Hundreds of Palestinian families in New Jersey trace their ancestry to the West Bank village of Turmusayya and the camps of Jenin. It is unacceptable that the U.S. Embassy did not respond to families’ calls for help.       

“We urge Governor Murphy to take concrete action to ensure the protection of Palestinian-Americans in the Occupied West Bank against Israeli settler violence. We also urge the Governor to fulfill the promise of citizenship and ensure the immediate safety of Palestinian-American citizens.      

“Furthermore, we call on New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way to reevaluate New Jersey’s partnerships with Israel through the New Jersey Israel Commission. It is unbefitting of New Jersey, one of the most diverse states nationwide with a vibrant Arab and Muslim population, to partner with such a foreign government that has been found, in numerous courts of law, to be guilty of grave human rights violations.”      

CAIR has written 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, calling on them to take concrete actions to protect Palestinians and Palestinian-Americans under attack by Israeli settlers.     

SEE: CAIR Calls for the Protection of Palestinians, American Citizens Under Attack By Israeli Settlers   

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.      

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CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Communications Manager Dina Sayedahmed, dsayedahmed@cair.com, 551-221-5592