U.S. President Joe Biden holds an event to sign an Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 30, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisĀ
Several Muslim and Arab American groups are threatening to withhold donations and votes for President Joe Biden’s potential 2024 reelection unless he takes immediate steps to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
The National Muslim Democratic Council, a coalition of Democratic Party leaders from pivotal states like Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, has called on President Biden to use his influence with Israel to facilitate a ceasefire by 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) on Tuesday. In an open letter titled “2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum,” Muslim leaders have committed to rallying “Muslim, Arab, and allied voters” to “withhold endorsement, support, or votes for any candidate who endorses the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people.”
The council expressed concerns about the Biden administration’s unconditional support for Israel, including funding and arms, which they believe has contributed to the ongoing violence and eroded trust among voters who previously supported the President.
Emgage, a Muslim American civic group, reported that nearly 1.1 million Muslims voted in the 2020 election. According to Associated Press exit polls, 64% of Muslims voted for Biden, while 35% supported his Republican rival, Donald Trump.
The Arab American Institute estimates that approximately 3.7 million Americans have roots tracing back to an Arab country, and their recent poll indicates a significant drop in support for Biden and Democrats within this group.
President Biden’s reelection campaign has not provided an immediate response to these developments.
The White House has been working to address concerns raised by community members and political appointees within the administration. President Biden met with a select group of Muslim leaders last week.
While President Biden has spoken out against rising antisemitism and Islamophobia, Muslim leaders insist that the conflict in Gaza must come to an end.
Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Minnesota, stated that he would have no choice but to vote against Biden in 2024 unless the President called for an end to the fighting. It’s important to note that Hussein expressed this opinion as an individual and not as a representative of CAIR.
President Biden is scheduled to visit Minnesota on Wednesday.
Arab and Muslim American communities have expressed frustration over what they perceive as the President’s failure to condemn Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, following an October 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants that Israel reports resulted in casualties and hostages.
President Biden has maintained that Israel has the right to defend its citizens but should also protect innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, who are victims of the ongoing conflict.
According to Gaza health authorities, 8,525 people, including 3,542 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. United Nations officials report that over 1.4 million of Gaza’s civilian population, which totals around 2.3 million, have been displaced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that he does not intend to agree to a ceasefire in the attacks on Gaza. U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby stated, “Hamas is the only one that would gain from that right now.”
On Monday, Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American lawmaker from Michigan, released a 90-second video on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in which she criticized President Biden’s support for what she described as “Israel’s genocidal campaign in Palestine” and warned, “Don’t count on our vote in 2024.”
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