Top House Democrat Embraces CAIR Florida After it Condemned Israel and Praised Hamas on October 7

Representative Darren Soto (D-FL) continues to receive political pushback from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). The Florida congressman, whose congressional seat is considered vulnerable, is accused of repeatedly hosting and engaging with the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), which has failed to condemn Hamas the terrorist organization’s attack against Israel on Oct. 7 that left 1,400 innocent Israelis, Americans, and other foreign nationals, dead,

The day Hamas terror executed its plan against Israel, CAIR-FL found blame in Israel, not in the terrorist organization that slaughtered over 1,400 civilians.

CAIR-FL stated that they “stand firmly” in support of the Palestinian people, and said, “The relentless and unjustified attacks by Israel on Palestinian towns, cities, and refugee camps have resulted in heartbreaking loss of Palestinian lives.”

The group continued, “We strongly condemn Israel’s deliberate and indiscriminate targeting of civilians, including innocent children, women, and the elderly.”

"The Council on American-Islamic Relations, Florida Chapter (CAIR-FL), stands firmly in support of the Palestinian people and their fundamental right to be free from the Israeli occupation.

Here is how the CAIR Florida statement reads:

The relentless and unjustified attacks by Israel on Palestinian towns, cities, and refugee camps have resulted in heartbreaking loss of Palestinian lives. We strongly condemn Israel’s deliberate and indiscriminate targeting of civilians, including innocent children, women, and the elderly. We also denounce the inhumane blockade imposed on the nearly 2 million inhabitants of Gaza, which not only violates international law but also constitutes an implicit declaration of open war on the Palestinians, compelling them to defend themselves constantly.

The silence surrounding these grave injustices is deeply troubling. We firmly believe that justice is the foundation of lasting peace. Without justice, no amount of security measures can bring about genuine peace.

We call upon the United States government, which provides extensive military, economic, financial, political, and diplomatic support to Israel, to exert pressure on the occupying regime and demand an immediate end to these atrocities. It is evident that the long-standing policy of unwavering support for Israel has failed to bring peace to both Israelis and Palestinians. To achieve stability in the region, it is imperative to seriously reconsider and adopt a fair and balanced approach.

Not only did CAIR-FL call for the United States to end their support of Israel despite Hamas killing over 1,200 Israeli citizens, but they also urged Arab and Muslim countries that have sought to make amends with Israel to “reassess their stance in the pursuit of peace and stability in the region.”

Rep. Soto, who has condemned Hamas, hosted Muslim community members including the Executive Director of CAIR-FL, Abdullah Jaber. He posted a screenshot of a Zoom call between himself and the community members on social media.

He captioned it, “We met with local Muslim leaders about the Israel-Hamas War. We must protect innocent Palestinian civilians, support the $100M request by President Biden for humanitarian assistance, and ensure this relief is delivered to save lives.”

However, according to reporting by Delanie Bomar – Southeast Press Secretary of the NRCC – Rep. Soto deleted the tweet.

In her own social media post, Bomar questioned Soto’s decision to delete the initial entry.

This morning Rep. Darren Soto deleted this tweet… Why?? Is he trying to hide his relationship with Abdullah Jaber, who spreads inflammatory antisemitic rhetoric? Antisemitism has no place in Florida. This tells you all you need to know about Soto’s dangerous, antisemitic agenda,” said Bomar.

Jaber, the executive director of CAIR FL, has in the past espoused anti-Israel comments and had accused Israel of occupying Gaza or Palestine.

In additon, Rep. Soto sent out a weekly newsletter to update constituents about what his office's recent accomplishments. One of those accomplishments was meeting with members of CAIR Florida.

CAIR was founded in 1994. However, some may recall Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) praising CAIR for establishing itself after 9/11, because “they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

In 2010, CAIR was also named an unindicted co-conspirator by a federal judge in a Texas terrorism support case, according to Politico. The Texas judge linked CAIR to Hamas after finding "ample evidence to establish the association" of the group with the terrorist group.