U.S. President Joe Biden’s pro-Israel actions are offending Arab American voters. In particular, there are observations that he may lose Arab votes when he runs for re-election in 2024 due to his passive attitude toward the humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Reuters reported that anger in the Arab community in the United States toward President Biden is growing, as a result of interviews with about 10 Arab-American scholars, activists, community members, and public officials.
There was public outrage that Israel did not pursue a humanitarian ceasefire even though countless Palestinians lost their lives due to airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
The media predicted that the frustration felt by Arab voters could affect President Biden’s re-election bid next year.
The number of Arab voters in the United States is not small. Michigan, which is classified as a swing state, has an Arab American population of 5%. Pennsylvania and Ohio, other battleground states, are also known to have Arab population percentages of 1.7% and 2%, respectively.
During the 2020 presidential election, President Biden narrowly defeated former President Donald Trump (47.8%) in Michigan with 50.6% of the vote. In Pennsylvania, he also narrowly beat former President Trump (48.84%) with 50.01% of the vote. The vote difference was less than 81,000 votes.
◇I don’t vote for Trump just because I don’t like Biden… “I think I will not participate in the election.”
The 2024 presidential election is likely to be the stage for a rematch between President Biden and former President Trump.
As an Arab voter, you cannot choose former President Trump just because you do not like President Biden. This is because former President Trump is more friendly to Israel, such as recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Some predict that some Arab voters will not exercise their right to vote.
“I think President Biden will lose Michigan,” Laila Elhad, a writer and activist from the Gaza Strip, told Reuters in an interview.
Arab Americans criticized Hamas’ surprise attack on the 7th, but also pointed out that Israel’s response was disproportionate. President Biden’s failure to condemn Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza also raised questions about his “human rights-centered” foreign policy.
President Biden’s push for $14 billion (approximately 19 trillion won) in aid to Israel has also come under fire.
Saeed Atshan, a Palestinian-American professor at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, criticized (President Biden’s) rhetoric, saying, “I cannot trust (President Biden’s) rhetoric, and he is trying to give billions of dollars in military funds to Israel while providing $100 million in humanitarian aid to Palestine.”
Meanwhile, the White House also recognized the criticism from Arab voters and began responding.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Deputy Advisor John Finer met with Arab and Muslim American leaders on the 13th, and White House officials invited 30 Palestinian-American youth to hear their stories on the 10th.
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken also met and spoke with leaders of the Palestinian and Arab American communities and Jewish American organizations on the 23rd.
However, it is unclear whether their anger will be resolved. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Islamic civil rights organization in the United States, urges the United States to actively prevent Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.
CAIR pointed out that “Israel’s bombing of Gaza is within the realm of genocide targeting all Palestinians,” and that “if (US) government officials do not intervene, they will become involved in ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.