CAIR-LA Calls Political Violence ‘Completely Unacceptable’ After Deadly Attack on Israeli Embassy Staffers in DC
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter speak to the law enforcement officials as they visit the site where, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 22, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
(LOS ANGELES, CA – 5/22/2025) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, today condemned political violence as “completely unacceptable” after a deadly attack on Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C., and said that the crime does not reflect or represent the millions of Americans peacefully advocating for an end to U.S. support for the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza.
On Wednesday evening, May 21, a shooter opened fire on two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., killing both. He reportedly shouted “free Palestine” after the shooting and posted a manifesto admitting responsibility for the attack and condemning the Israeli military’s conduct in Gaza.
In a statement, CAIR said:
“We condemn last night’s deadly attack on Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C.
“While millions of Americans feel extreme frustration at the sight of the Israeli government slaughtering Palestinian men, women and children on a daily basis with weapons paid for with our taxpayer dollars, political violence is an unacceptable crime and is not the answer.
“Such violence only undermines the pursuit of justice.”
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“The criminal actions of the shooter are completely unacceptable and do not represent the tens of millions of Americans who have peacefully advocated, marched, and spoken up for a ‘free Palestine’ and called for an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and violent occupation of Palestinian land.
“We stand for the life and dignity of all people, including both Palestinians and Israelis. True justice and peace require that American activists and political leaders address the root cause of violence in the region—the 77-year-long ethnic cleansing and dispossession of the indigenous Palestinian people by Israeli forces. Peaceful protest, civil disobedience, and political engagement are the only appropriate and effective tools to advocate for policy change in our nation, including an end to U.S. support for the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza.”
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, promotejusticeand empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT:CAIR-LA Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Senior Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com
