Al Salam Mosque in Dearborn, Michigan (Getty)
Washington
- A week after President Joe Biden’s visit to the state of Michigan, during which he avoided meeting any of the state’s Arab and Muslim leaders, a delegation of senior aides to the US President failed to bridge the gap of differences between the Biden administration and the state’s Arab and Muslim community, which the White House fears losing in the upcoming presidential elections. Next November.
John Finer, Deputy National Security Advisor, led the White House delegation to the state, which also included Director of the US Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, and Steve Benjamin, Director of the Office of Public Engagement at the White House.
The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, came as part of the White House's efforts to mend relations with Arab and Muslim Americans who are angry at President Joe Biden's handling of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, and their pledge not to vote for Biden in the upcoming elections.
This meeting came after representatives of Michigan Arabs previously refused to meet with Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, for what they considered the Biden administration’s interest only in securing and ensuring access to their votes instead of listening to their concerns.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said in a tweet on the X website, “At 10 a.m., Dearborn votes were represented in a two-hour political discussion with senior advisors - not campaign staff - from the Biden administration.”
Biden won the votes of the swing state of Michigan in the 2020 elections, in which he defeated Trump (Al Jazeera)
Biden's position
During the meeting, Wiener justified the White House's position on the aggression, whose number of victims approached 30,000 martyrs, and acknowledged that the White House had committed major mistakes, including not acknowledging the large number of Palestinian deaths early on.
The White House delegation focused on explaining Biden's efforts to reach an agreement that could temporarily stop the fighting, and detailed the administration's efforts to balance support for the Israeli offensive against Hamas with humanitarian concerns in Gaza. According to the New York Times, the delegation did not offer any apology for the way Biden managed the crisis, and they were unable to promise the only thing that Arab and Muslim American leaders believe would make a difference in their position, which is a permanent ceasefire.
The White House has rejected a comprehensive ceasefire for months. But the Michigan meetings reflected the Biden administration's awareness that its position had cost it the loss of significant support among Arab and Muslim voters who could change their voting pattern, compared to what happened in the 2020 elections, and that Biden would lose the state's votes, which would diminish his chances of winning a second term.
Michigan Jews
On the other hand, the meeting sparked widespread anger among Michigan Jews and organizations supporting Israel, fearing that the Biden administration would respond to pressure from Arab voters. These voices also criticized the participation of figures who support and praise organizations that the United States classifies as terrorist.
Jewish websites singled out Osama Siblani, a local political activist and newspaper publisher in Dearborn, with a number of accusations, including his past praise of Hamas and Hezbollah, and his claim that the US government was “bought” by the “Zionist lobby.”
Siblani also blamed the Israeli Prime Minister and his right-wing government for the events of October 7, and said, according to Jewish news sites, “Hamas is not a terrorist organization, and we must tell them that the terrorist is Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.”
According to Jewish Insider, which focuses on news about American Jews, Asher Lopatin, executive director of the Detroit Jewish Community Relations Council, said, “While the Biden administration is of course entitled to meet with whomever it chooses, it should be aware of Osama Siblani’s long record of support.” Open to groups designated by the United States as terrorist and demonized by Israel.”
“We urge extreme caution in providing legitimacy or credibility to such a divisive figure,” Lopatin added.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt criticized the White House for Siblani's participation in the meeting, and said, "We are deeply disturbed by the inclusion of Osama Siblani in a meeting with senior Biden administration officials. Both Siblani and his newspaper, Arab American News, have a long history of expressing sympathy, and sometimes support." Frankly, the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas.”
Voters cast their ballots in previous US elections (French)
Disappointing results
Abed Ayoub, Executive Director of the Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, tweeted, commenting on the meetings of White House officials with Arab and Muslim leaders in Michigan, and said, “The opinions on the Dearborn meetings can be summarized as follows: No one expects any changes in Biden’s policy towards Gaza. Many feel that "The meetings should not have taken place. There are serious questions about the White House's lack of understanding of the Arab and Muslim community."
Ayoul added, "Some of those who participated in the meetings regretted attending them, especially after monitoring the responses they heard from White House officials. While the small amount of support remaining for Biden in the region mostly evaporated by the end of the day after it was confirmed that the White House was mishandling the entire trip."
Spent most of the evening on calls with community members from the Dearborn area, and across SE MI.
Biggest takeaways from today's meetings in Dearborn:
– No one is expecting any changes in policy by Biden towards Gaza.
– Many feel the meetings should not have happened, nor…
- Abed A. Ayoub (@aayoub) February 9, 2024
On the other hand, Arab and Muslim activists in Michigan a few days ago launched a campaign to reject Biden by voting “not committed to voting” in the Michigan primary elections on February 27, as a beginning to show the strength of their voting bloc in the state.
At the same time, a number of Democratic Party leaders are betting on the assumption that the majority of Arab and Muslim voters will end up voting for Biden again, because they realize that voting for the potential Republican candidate, Donald Trump, will be a great service to Israel.
Source: Al Jazeera