In Hawaii’s primary elections, President Biden lost 29% of the Democratic vote to the “Uncommitted” category, the highest percentage in those states that have conducted primaries. Unlike Michigan and Minnesota, where he also lost a substantial percentage of voters to the “Uncommitted” category, Hawaii does not have a large percentage of either Arab or Muslim voters. And that is why it is very telling.
It is increasingly evident that many Democrats – not just Arab or Muslim Americans – no longer support Biden’s opposition to the ceasefire until all the hostages are released and Hamas surrenders. They want him to cut off all military aid to Israel and to stop voting in favour of Israel at the UN Security Council.
The message from his Democratic base finally seems to be getting through to him and to the party’s senior leadership: either they put pressure on Israel to stop the onslaught on Gaza, or risk losing the election to Donald Trump, who is the apparent candidate of the Republican Party, despite having been convicted of financial fraud and mandated to pay nearly $500 million in fines. Trump still faces even bigger charges associated with the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
While Schumer’s speech aroused anger in Israel, it did not placate Arab and Muslim voters in the US. The Arab mayor of Dearborn in Michigan expressed their sentiments when he said that “Words are not enough, what we want to see is actual change in policy”
The Israeli onslaught continues to rage during the holy month of Ramadan and Netanyahu keeps talking of invading Rafah, despite US opposition. Even in the West Bank, it is onerous for Muslims to pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque. They must get special permits to pray and only people older than 55 years will be given permits.
Anger against Israel’s military operations in Gaza is spreading across the US. It is no longer confined to protest marches in universities and in major cities. Several protestors recently blocked the entrance to the international terminal at the San Francisco airport for 158 minutes, symbolising the 158 days of war in Gaza. When the APEC summit was taking place in the US, protestors had blocked the Bay Bridge that connects Oakland with San Francisco.
In Washington, DC, protestors blocked the road from the White House to the Capitol in Washington, DC, delaying the start of the State of the Union address. More recently, at the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, which is televised globally, protestors blocked the roads, causing a 6-minute delay in the start. During the Oscars, Jonathan Glazer went a step further. While accepting the award for a film he directed about the Holocaust, Glazer expressed his concerns about the dehumanisation of Gaza. Finally, even the Wall Street Journal, known for its hawkish views on Israel, carried a long article by veteran foreign policy analyst, Richard Haass, which was a trenchant critique of how Israel responded to October 7.
Under such pressure, Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader and a long-standing supporter of Israel who had earlier given a long speech about antisemitism to Congress, expressed his anger with Netanyahu. Schumer called on Israel to hold new elections because Netanyahu was “too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.”
While Schumer’s speech aroused anger in Israel, it did not placate Arab and Muslim voters in the US. The Arab mayor of Dearborn in Michigan expressed their sentiments when he said that “Words are not enough, what we want to see is actual change in policy.” Furthermore, while Schumer called for a two-state solution to create lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, he qualified that by saying the Palestinian state would have to be demilitarised.
Despite these American concessions, many Arab and Muslim Americans, several of whom have lost friends and family in Gaza, are so disenchanted with Biden that they cannot even think of voting for him.
How could any Arab or Muslim American vote for such a bigot? Young voters regardless of ethnicity or religion feel the same way
Should they not vote at all? Why would they want to throw away a privilege that comes with being an American citizen? Wouldn’t that be a self-inflicted punishment?
Should they vote for Donald Trump? He has an even more extreme stance on Palestinians. At various times, he has said he would let Israel “finish the job” in Gaza. What does that mean? Let Israel kill or injure another 100,000 Palestinians? Destroy the buildings that are still standing? Make Gaza uninhabitable?
Trump has also said he would come down hard on anyone involved in pro-Palestinian protest marches. He equates the call for a ceasefire with being pro-Hamas, a terrorist organisation in the US. He would deport foreign students who participate in such activities, take back the permanent resident status of green card holders and denaturalise American students of foreign origin. He would also ban Muslims from entering the US.
To compound the problem, he would re-establish white supremacy in the US as he seeks to “Make American Great Again,” release those who were arrested in the January 6 insurrection since to him they are hostages and reduce taxes on the wealthy while cutting social welfare programs.
How could any Arab or Muslim American vote for such a bigot? Young voters regardless of ethnicity or religion feel the same way. According to Professor Stephen Zunes, Biden’s popularity among voters aged between 18-34 has declined by 18% and stands at a record low 30%. This demographic segment voted overwhelmingly for Biden in 2020 and is crucial to his winning a second term in November. Young voters are unlikely to vote for Donald Trump. They may end up voting for a third-party candidate or just not vote at all, causing Biden to lose. The decline in Israel’s popularity is not confined to young voters. A March Gallup poll found that support for Israel in the US is now at its lowest point in 20 years.
Faced with two bad choices, Arab and Muslim Americans plan to keep the pressure on Biden, hoping that he would translate his words into actions, forcing Israel to stop its onslaught on the 2.3 million residents of Gaza.