The Religious Freedom Commission is dissatisfied with the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), established in 1998, raised awareness of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the civilian casualties in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The commission, established by the act’s passing, has uncovered and documented religious issues in US foreign policy; violators have frequently been sanctioned, some prisoners have been freed, and repressive governments have improved their legal and policy frameworks.

Abraham Cooper, the chair of USCIRF, underlined the significance of worldwide religious and belief freedom for all people. The commission has played a key role in denouncing the Holocaust denial and antisemitism of Russia, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the persecution of the Uyghur people by China as genocide, and the attack on Israel by Hamas. The Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act and the Global Magnitsky Act are two new tools that USCIRF has aggressively used to advance and achieve international religious liberty in the five years since its 20th anniversary.

The commission keeps an eye out for and records violations of religious freedom around the world, promotes religious liberty, and creates annual reports as well as regular reports on religious freedom in various nations. It also names certain nations as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) due to their violations of religious freedom. Going forward, USCIRF recommended the US Congress to make better use of the CPC designation and impose more significant penalties on those who violate it. Additionally, they asked Congress to support the body’s original goals by supporting prisoners of conscience, permanently reauthorizing USCIRF with bipartisan support, and increasing its budget.