American Arabs are enraged.
They expressed their disapproval of United States President Joe Biden this week when they forbade his campaign manager from visiting Michigan to engage their communities.
Numerous elected Arab-American officials, including state legislators and municipal leaders, declined to meet with Julie Chavez Rodriguez, stating they would not discuss the elections as long as mass murders continue in Gaza.
At this time, it is incomprehensible that we are attempting to discuss electoral politics while a genocide is unfolding,” said Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.
“At this time, it is inappropriate to discuss politics. We must acknowledge our humanity and meet with legislators and decision-makers to discuss changing the international situation. However, this is not the case with campaign personnel.”
Southeast Michigan’s Arab-American local officials reported that their constituents are enraged and dissatisfied with Vice President Biden’s policies in Gaza; this discontent could be detrimental to the president’s re-election chances.
Since Dearborn is home to sizable Palestinian, Lebanese, Iraqi, and Yemeni populations, many consider it the capital of Arab America. Hammoud observed that the United States and its Israeli allies are bombing all four nations.
Arab Americans and the greater Dearborn community, according to the mayor, feel “betrayed” by Biden’s steadfast support for Israel.
“Some of my neighbors were forced to extricate their grandmothers from the rubble of their destroyed homes after Israeli fighter jets attacked them,” Hammoud explained.
“There are inhabitants from Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in Jerusalem that is undergoing an ethnic cleansing.” What am I to say to them? What does the message mean for them?
Michigan’s Significance
According to multiple officials, opposition from the community led to the subsequent cancellation of the scheduled meeting between Chavez Rodriguez and Arab-American leaders.
The potential influence of Arab Americans residing in Dearborn and other Michigan cities during the US presidential elections, which operate on the principle of winning individual states, could be substantial.
More than ten million people reside in Michigan, a crucial “swing state” whose electorate frequently decides between Republican and Democratic candidates by razor-thin margins.
In the Midwestern state of Iowa in 2016, former President Donald Trump defeated Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton by a margin of less than 11,000 votes. Thus, the hundreds of thousands of Arab Americans estimated to reside in Michigan could have influenced the election’s outcome.
Presidential candidates, especially Democrats, have begun to recognize the significance of the Arab vote in recent election cycles by airing advertisements in Arabic, meeting with community advocates, and addressing the specific concerns of Arab Americans.
Biden’s Waning Support in Arab Community
Biden pledged in a 2020 platform for Arab-American communities to uphold domestic civil rights and recognize the equality of Israelis and Palestinians. In addition, he dispatched his running mate, Kamala Harris, and his wife, Jill Biden, to Dearborn to engage the local Arab community.
Although Biden faced criticism for his unwavering support for Israel, Arab voters appeared to support him by a significant margin. Indeed, according to municipal data, Biden secured over 80% of the vote in polling locations in Dearborn that were predominantly Arab. This assistance aided him in reclaiming Michigan for the Democrats.
However, as the November 2024 elections approach—and a rematch between Biden and Trump is highly probable—Biden’s support among Arab Americans is plummeting.
In October, a poll by the Arab American Institute revealed that support for Biden among Arab Americans fell to 17% following the conflict, and some activists suspect that the figure has fallen even lower since then.
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Arab-American advocates emphasize that a singular concern does not motivate their communities. However, they contend that the magnitude of the devastation in Gaza and Joe Biden’s unwavering involvement in it renders it arduous, if not unfeasible, to once more endorse the 81-year-old president.
Arab Americans will never support Joe Biden under any circumstances. Such is it. “They are done with Biden,” Wayne County commissioner Sam Baydoun, who declined Chavez Rodriguez’s request to meet, added.
“Below is the absolute truth.” “Joe Biden will be unable to regain the confidence of the Arab-American community.”
The Support of Biden for Israel
Biden has extended Israel unqualified political and financial assistance ever since the commencement of its Gaza conflict on October 7. The additional aid requested by the president for the US ally exceeds $14 billion, and the White House continues collaborating with Congress to secure the necessary funds.
Proponents of Palestinian rights have accused him of aiding in the dehumanization of Palestinians. Biden characterized the tens of thousands of civilian casualties in Gaza in October as “the cost of waging war.”
Ahead of the 100th day of the conflict earlier this month, the president of the United States issued a statement that exclusively addressed Israeli captives in Gaza, omitting any mention of Palestinians.
Additionally, two United Nations Security Council resolutions urging a de-escalation in the Gaza Strip. Where over 26,000 Palestinians have been slain, have been vetoed by the Biden administration.
Biden’s Controversial Middle East Policies
In addition, the Biden administration halted funding for the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) this week in response to unconfirmed Israeli allegations that UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attack against Israel by Hamas.
Conversely, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s overt defiance of Biden by rejecting the two-state solution, Washington has categorically ruled out suspending or conditionalising aid to Israel.
Nonetheless, the Biden administration maintains that it is exerting pressure on Israel to reduce the number of civilian casualties and attempting to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, where rights groups estimate that the population is on the verge of famine.
The majority leader of the Michigan House of Representatives, Abraham Aiyash, refuted Washington’s assertions that it is attempting to assist the Gaza Strip.
“‘Attempting’ has resulted in the loss of life of nearly 30,000 individuals, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, and the emboldening of the far-right authoritarian government in Israel.” Therefore, Aiyash, an individual of Yemeni heritage, expressed concern regarding the potential repercussions if the United States did not make an effort “if it is ‘trying.'”
As of publication, the Biden campaign had yet to respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
The Term “War Criminal”
He stated that this week, Osama Siblani, the publisher of the Arab American News based in Dearborn, did meet with Chavez Rodriguez to convey a scathing message to her face.
“Biden is instructing Israel, ‘Go kill; here are the funds, ammunition, political influence, and everything else you require.’ That constitutes war crimes. ‘That is our perspective,’ Siblani relayed to the campaign manager.
He further stated that, despite dozens of phone calls pleading with him to abandon the meeting, he felt compelled to confront the Biden campaign.
“While conveying my desire to meet with her, I wished to convey an obvious message: If this man desires our support, he must accomplish much more than resurrecting many of the deceased, as he did with Jesus Christ.” “He has the blood of thousands of people on his hands,” Siblani stated.
In addition to the Gaza crisis, Siblani asserts that Biden has failed to fulfill
Numerous campaign pledges to Arab Americans, including the appointment of Arab Americans to significant positions in his administration and taking measures against Arab states perpetrating human rights abuses.
“However, none of these other matters because we are unable to overlook the Israeli atrocities.” “We simply cannot,” he declared.
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