ATLANTA, Ga. — We were in downtown Atlanta today where the country’s largest Muslim Civil Rights group wanted their voices heard on the war in Israel.
As Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach reports, they believe too many Civilians are being caught in the crossfire.
“Killing innocent people, targeting civilians is wrong, doesn’t matter if Palestinian, Israeli, American or any other nationality, Edward Mitchell, CAIR National Deputy Director said.”
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CAIR’s National Deputy Director was joined by Georgia’s Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Palestinian Americans, who talked about suffering continuing in Gaza after the terror attacks on Israel over the weekend.
“Over 2 million people couped up in a strip of land, trapped, completely under siege, surrounded on all sides,” officials said.
Ghada Elnajjar, a Palestinian refugee, says she lost five family members in the Gaza Strip during airstrikes in recent days.
“Four are children, all siblings, their home was bombed,” Elnajjar said.
“Many of us really want to see freedom on all sides in our land -- this is just one thing that is unbearable and unspeakable.”
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We also spoke with Jacob Leibowitz from his home outside Tel Aviv in Israel who holds dual U.S. Israeli citizenship.
“Israelis are all united in that this attack by Hamas has nothing to do with the Palestinian people… it has nothing to do with trying to find a peaceful solution,” Leibowitz said.
But CAIR calls it “collective punishment” that Israel’s actions are continued war crimes and human rights abuses dating back to the 1960s.
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“And the way to permanently stop this horrific cycle of violence, to save Israelis, Palestinians, and others is to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory,” Mitchell said.
CAIR did not say what that looks like or once mention the word “Hamas”, the terror group that has complete control over Gaza.
None of the speakers specifically mentioned the atrocities committed by Hamas, neither in support nor condemning the attacks, only saying both sides should not target civilians.
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