The Arab American Civic Council joined the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), the Los Angeles chapter of the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Los Angeles Chapter of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship’s Palestine Israel Network (EPF PIN), the Friends of Sabeel, North America (FOSNA), and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California in condemning Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s endorsement of Jerusalem as the site of the U.S. embassy to Israel.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Friday, Garcetti said, “I support the embassy being here.”
A letter was sent to the Mayor’s office, which stated in part:
As Mayor of Los Angeles, you must represent all Angelenos. As a mayor who has engaged with diverse Angelenos and put an effort to protect their rights, your declaration of support for Jerusalem as the capital of Israel tarnishes your record of speaking for all of us in the City of Angels.
Therefore, we request that you, in the spirit of cooperation and respect for all people and faiths, retract your support for this dangerous and offensive action, apologize to your Christian, Jewish and Muslim constituents whose views and values you are supposed to represent and hold a meeting with the interfaith community to discuss your statements.
Read the full letter here.