Dearborn — Detroit area Arab and Muslim community leaders condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his Wednesday address to Congress, while some said it’s too early to declare support for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential front-runner.
Arab and Muslim community leaders have criticized President Joe Biden’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack that killed civilians and took others hostage. Israel’s counter attack has killed tens of thousands in Gaza, prompting some leaders to adopt a “wait and see” approach on the still emerging policies of Harris.
“She (Harris) is still vice president and Biden president. They are talking about finishing the job, they are in power now. They are in the White House now, they have another four or five months,” said Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi of Dearborn Heights’ Islamic House of Wisdom. “If they want to do anything about Palestine, it’s not about doing it next year … do it now. Ceasefire now.”
Biden negotiated a tentative ceasefire plan that gave United Nations’ approval and the backing of Israel and Hamas, but a final agreement hasn’t been reached.
Netanyahu spoke before Congress Wednesday afternoon, although scores of Democratic lawmakers boycotted the joint address. Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, attended the speech and silently held up a sign that read “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide.” Vice President Kamala Harris, who would typically sit behind a foreign dignitary addressing Congress, was absent due to a prescheduled trip.
Large protests over the war’s high Palestinian death toll and Israel’s inability to free hostages preceded Netanyahu’s visit to the capital. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Biden and Harris separately on Thursday and former President Donald Trump on Friday.
Imad Hamad, executive director of the American Human Rights Council, called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and applauded protesters in Washington, D.C., calling for his arrest.
“It’s obvious that since the beginning of this unfortunate crisis and genocidal war against the occupied Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, the Biden administration made sure to put Israel and to put Netanyahu in particular, above the United States, above its moral laws and values, and above the U.S. Constitution, and also above the whole world and the international community,” Hamad said.
Advocacy against Netanyahu is neither new nor surprising, but is disappointing, said David Kurzmann, community affairs director of the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit. He pointed out that a similar designation is lacking for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ top official who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks.
“Sinwar’s the one who perpetrated this historic atrocity, who devised and designed it and executed it,” Kurzmann said. “And yet Netanyahu, the democratically elected prime minister of a government that also has a military establishment and those who run the military establishment — he’s the one who’s uniquely held up as this devil.”
The United Nations International Court of Justice may issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for his role in allegedly starving Palestinians in Gaza, as well as warrants for Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders including Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, and Ismail Haniyeh for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Palestinian physician Alaa Ali said he has lost 128 family members since October, including one of his brothers. Ali said he still has a brother and two sisters living in Gaza. They have been displaced seven times and now live in tents without the most basic supplies, Ali said.
“Our community (is) looking for a ceasefire as the beginning,” Ali said. “There are so many other things that have to be done. People who committed this genocide have to be facing the consequences. They have to be held accountable for this.”
Imam Steve Mustapha Elturk, president of the Warren-based Islamic Association of North America Masjid, called on elected officials to boycott engagements with Netanyahu and arrest him for war crimes.
“We call on Congress to take a stand against these gross violations of human rights and international law. It is imperative that Netanyahu is held accountable for his actions,” Elturk said.
Steven Ingber, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit, said Israel has “gone above and beyond” to prevent civilian casualties. Israeli forces routinely warn residents days and weeks before bombing attacks by dropping leaflets as well as calling and texting, something that has never been done in military history and sending off communications, attacks, according to John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at West Point University’s Modern War Institute.
“We’ve never seen countries say, you know, ‘let’s try and move these people before we bomb them,'” Ingber said.
On July 21, Israel’s delivered airstrikes in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, where nine people were killed, and the southern city of Khan Younis, where at least six people were killed.
War has raged in Gaza for over nine months and began shortly after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages.
Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion into Gaza, which is roughly the size of Detroit and home to over 2 million people, have killed more than 39,000 Palestinians and wounded 89,800 since then, the Associated Press reported Monday. The death and injury tolls come from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians.
Roughly 120 hostages remain in captivity, some have been released and a third are believed to be dead. Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced and resides in “humanitarian zones,” which contain tent camps that lack basic sanitation and medical provisions. Much of the population is also on the verge of famine, according to the Associated Press.
Ali said his family is still living in tents in Gaza that lack the basics to conduct their lives. He blames Netanyahu for the death of other family members and called him a “terrorist” and “barbaric war criminal.”
“Our government are complicit in this genocide. If there is no major shift in the policy, regardless of the person, our community will not stand with anybody whose hands are filled with blood,” he said.
Hamad said he sees Harris’ absence from Netanyahu’s speech before Congress as a “cosmetic” effort to distance herself from the Israeli leader. The Arab and Muslim American community is open to dialogue and engagement with all campaigns, including Harris’, Trump’s and third-party candidates, Hamad said.
“She continues to be part of the (Biden) administration,” Hamad said. “We have to wait and see what each presidential candidate may present.”
©2024 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
KeyWords:: 1b40b1fd-bb95-5600-a90d-748541f49b5d
1b40b1fd bb95 5600 a90d 748541f49b5d
DTN-ARAB-LEADERS-URGE-NETANYAHUS-ARREST-WHILE-HAMAS-LEADER-20240724
DTN ARAB LEADERS URGE NETANYAHUS ARREST WHILE HAMAS LEADER 20240724