Biden's solidarity with Israel upsetting Arab Americans, could affect 2024 re-run, Democrats warn White House

Michigan Democrats are alerting the White House to the possibility that US President Joe Biden’s support of Israel in the conflict with Hamas may cost him enough brownie points with the Arab American community to affect the results of the 2024 election in a state he almost certainly cannot afford to lose in his re-election campaign. The circumstances have forced the White House to talk about methods to defuse tense relations with a number of the state’s well-known Democrats, including a few who have been outspoken opponents of the president’s war policy. “The word has been spread.” The White House has been contacted by phone. The Democratic National Committee is mentioned by Abraham Aiyash, the third-ranking Democrat in the state House of Representatives, when he states, “We’ve had calls with DNC officials.” “Humanity should matter, as we have stated clearly, but if you choose not to consider that at this time, understand that there will be electoral fallout from this.” Arab American leaders who have spoken with the White House “are worried” about the ramifications for 2024, said to Aiyash, the Democratic floor leader in the state House, and have expressed their worries to Biden. Prominent Democrats in Michigan have expressed similar worries. “To be sure, none of us want to witness the second part of a Trump disaster presidency. However, if our concerns are not even given a decent response, we also won’t just handily grant Joe Biden another term, adds Aiyash. Over 310,000 people in Michigan are of Middle Eastern or North African descent, making it the state with the highest population of Arab Americans in the United States. In the event that Biden does not call for a ceasefire in the battle, many members of the community have vowed to band together against his reelection campaign. He has been hesitant to take that action, vehemently defending Israel’s right to self-defense in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, which claimed the lives of almost 1,400 Israelis, the majority of whom were civilians, and resulted in the capture of over 240 captives in Gaza. Additionally, he has questioned the Hamas terror group’s estimations of the number of Palestinian deaths in the ensuing fighting. (with inputs from agencies)