MEDIA ADVISORY: Chicago Families Condemn NEW Israeli Demolition Orders and Settler Violence in Palestine
Abdelhakim Asfour, who was shot in the stomach while attempting to obtain humanitarian aid in Gaza. (Photo provided by William Asfour via CAIR-Chicago).
(CHICAGO, IL, 1/14/2026) – The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will host a press conference on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 11:00am (CST) alongside Chicago Palestinian families and Jewish allies to expose escalating Israeli demolitions, settler violence, forced segregation, and collective punishment targeting Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The press conference will center on firsthand testimony from Chicago families with loved ones in Sinjil, Deir Samit, Al-Mughayyir, and Gaza, where Israeli forces and armed settlers have intensified their violent attacks. Hear also from Chicagoans who are using traditional tatreez embroidery to save a village.
SEE—New York Times: Two Months After Cease-Fire, Israel Is Still Demolishing Gaza
WHAT: Press Conference with Chicago Families Condemning NEW Israeli Demolition Orders and Settler Violence in Palestine—Using Embroidery to Save a Village
WHEN: Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | 11:00 AM (CST)
WHERE: CAIR-Chicago Azima Center, 17 North State Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60602
LIVESTREAM: www.facebook.com/cairchicago
SPEAKERS:
Jordan Esparza-Kelley — Communications Coordinator, CAIR-Chicago
Nida Sahouri – Chicago-area pharmacist and grandmother, sharing testimony on settler violence, home destruction, and segregation in Sinjil
Lynn Pollack — Evanston for a Free Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP Chicago) ally, co-creator of www.savethevillages.com
Laya Nassan — speaking on pogrom-style settler attacks and land destruction in Al-Mughayyir, a student raising funds through embroidery
Sara — Evanston for a Free Palestine ally advocating for Palestinian villages under attack, including Deir Samit
William Asfour — Chicago resident with family surviving in Gaza’s freezing tents amid ongoing aid restrictions
CAIR-Chicago joins constituents' calls on Illinois elected officials to:
Condemn Israeli settler violence and forced segregation as violations of international law
Halt U.S. complicit funding that enables Israel’s genocide in Palestine
Demand accountability for attacks on Palestinian civilians, including Palestinian Americans
Push for a TRUE, immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access to Gaza
CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
CONTACT: Hafsa Haider, Communications Director, CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com