Photo Credit: David Swanson/AFP
(LOS ANGELES, CA – 6/24/2024) –The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today condemned recent real estate events held at two California synagogues allegedly promoting the sale of land located in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories. CAIR-LA also called for an investigation into the violence that broke out at the real estate event in Los Angeles.
SEE:
- My Home in Israel Real Estate Flyer
- Pro-Palestinian protest outside LA synagogue criticized as ‘antisemitic’ after street fights with pro-Israel protesters
The real estate events, which were organized by Israel-based agency My Home in Israel, a firm that reportedly markets real estate in Israel and the illegally occupied West Bank, took place over the weekend at the Shaarey Zedek Congregation in Valley Village and the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles.
Pro-Palestinian groups organized a demonstration on Sunday, June 23, outside the Adas Torah synagogue to protest the event and the promotion of Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land. Violence broke out when pro-Israeli counter-protesters confronted the demonstrators. Local law enforcement on the scene did little to intervene and stop the violence.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“Any type of violence, harassment, intimidation, or suppression of free speech is never acceptable in any form, regardless of whether it is committed by protesters or police. We fully support investigations into the instances of violence and hope that the perpetrators are held accountable.
“The demonstration in front of the Adas Torah synagogue over the weekend was in response to the blatant violations of both international law and human rights from agencies that seek to make a profit selling brutally stolen Palestinian land as the Israeli government continues its eight-month-long genocidal campaign and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. The decision by Shaarey Zedek and Adas Torah synagogues to host events promoting racially segregated settlements, where only Jewish people are allowed to live, on illegally occupied Palestinian land is deplorable and antithetical to the morals that faith institutions should uphold.
“Elected officials and the mainstream media have politicized this incident as religious discrimination as opposed to a human rights issue. We call on political leaders to condemn the organizations involved in the potentially illegal sale of Palestinian land and the counter-protesters who commit violence against anti-genocide protesters with the same fervor used for rightfully condemning antisemitism.”
The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution in 1979 stating that “the practices of Israel in establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories since 1967 have no legal validation and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.” The Council passed similar resolutions in 1980 and 2016.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s 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-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com