(HOUSTON, TX – 10/11/2023) – On Thursday, Oct. 12, the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) plans to hold a press conference with members of the Palestinian community of Houston to condemn the violence of the ongoing bombardment of Gaza and hear the news from Palestinians.    

The press conference will feature several key members of the Palestinian community.  

WHAT: Press Conference on Gaza  

WHERE: Please call media contact for location details 

WHEN: Thursday, October 12 at 12 pm  

WHO: CAIR-Houston and Palestinian-Houstonians  
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston Director William White, w-white@cair.com, 713-254-2016

ALERT: To urge your members of Congress to take action and address the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine, click here.   

SEE: CAIR-Houston Interfaith Press Conference on Violence in Gaza

SEE Also: Israeli Airstrikes Hit Marketplace and Mosques in Gaza, Killing Dozens 

In a statement, CAIR-Houston Director William White said:    

“It is vital that the public understand the consequences of Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestine and its effects on our Palestinian friends, neighbors, and coworkers in Houston. Targeting civilians, whether Israeli or Palestinian, is wrong. The violence must end, and the only way to permanently end the cycle of violence is to end the occupation. 

“It is vital to remember that Palestinians have endured decades of dehumanization and annexation and continue to be persecuted under the governance of the Israeli occupation. The immediate uproar when Israel faces an attack is in stark contrast to the shameful silence over the daily brutality Israel has brought to the Palestinian people for over 75 years. Palestinians are no different than any other people—They want to live free and with dignity on their land.”  

BACKGROUNDER:

In the last 48 hours, Israeli forces launched bombing attacks that have killed at least 765 Palestinians and wounded 4,000 others in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Hamas’ weekend attack in southern Israel, which killed at least 900 Israelis and wounded 2,500, which occurred in the wake of attacks on al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem by Israeli settlers backed by Israeli soldiers.    

Gaza, which human rights organizations have described as “the largest open-air prison” due to an ongoing 15-year-long inhumane siege and blockade, is home to more than two million Palestinians, most of whom are refugees from villages and towns occupied by Israel.   

The United Nations has called Israel’s aggressions in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank “illegal under international law” and a “substantial obstacle to peace.”   

CAIR-Houston is an office of Texas’ largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.      

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CONTACT: CAIR-Houston Director William White, w-white@cair.com, 713-254-2016