Islamophobia Won’t Silence Palestinian Advocacy, Nor Hide Israel’s Crimes [WASHINGTON D.C., DECEMBER 16, 2025] — Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) condemns the escalating use of Islamophobic tactics by American Zionist organizations, far-right figures, and allied lawmakers who are deliberately targeting American Muslims to deflect attention from Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its ongoing apartheid and military occupation of Palestine.  Reporting by Drop Site News recently uncovered that Israel’s own Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commissioned extensive message-testing after their internal research showed that large segments of the global public now view Israel as a genocidal, apartheid state. Rather than addressing the mass killing, starvation, and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, the research identified fearmongering about “Radical Islam” as the most effective way to blunt criticism and regain political support. This confirms what Palestinian advocates have long stated: Islamophobia is being deliberately weaponized as a public-relations shield for genocide, apartheid, and occupation. Israel and the Zionists' use of Islamophobia and criminalization of pro-Palestinian advocates is nothing-short of an admittance of guilt. Since they cannot justify their actions to the broader public, they have chosen to distract from their actions and have sought to suppress the First Amendment rights of Americans. As outrage over Israel’s war crimes grows, its defenders are increasingly pivoting to Islamophobia and the criminalization of Palestinian advocacy to avoid accountability.  Recent calls by U.S. lawmakers for the mass expulsion, deportation, and collective punishment of American Muslims exemplify this dangerous turn. These remarks are overtly dehumanizing and racist; they portray Muslim communities as an internal threat rather than as citizens exercising constitutionally protected rights. AJP Action has witnessed this tactic firsthand. During AJP Action and American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)’s joint lobby day in October, far-right extremist Laura Loomer launched Islamophobic attacks against Muslim advocates engaged in constitutionally protected advocacy in Washington, D.C., seeking to delegitimize Muslim political participation and intimidate communities demanding justice for Palestine. The incident reflects a broader pattern in which Islamophobia is used to silence dissent, suppress civic engagement, and deflect accountability for Israeli state violence. Let us be clear: criticism of Israel is not about religion. It is about accountability for genocide in Gaza, illegal settlements, apartheid laws, and decades of military occupation. No amount of Islamophobic fearmongering will erase Israel’s responsibility for mass civilian death, forced displacement, and the systematic destruction of Palestinian life. AJP Action rejects the attempt to pit Jewish safety against Muslim existence, or to frame Palestinian advocacy as extremism. American Muslims, Palestinians, and their allies have the full constitutional and human right to speak, organize, and demand an end to U.S. complicity in Israel’s crimes without being smeared, surveilled, or threatened. These tactics are failing. The truth about Israel’s actions in Gaza is no longer containable, and scapegoating Muslims will not stop the growing global movement for Palestinian freedom, dignity, and self-determination. In solidarity, Americans for Justice in Palestine Action |
