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Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate and Kamala Harris's running mate, said Israel's war on Gaza “must end now” and pledged that, if elected, their administration would work “side by side” with Muslim Americans.
Mr Walz joined a summit organised by Emgage, a Muslim-American advocacy group, on Thursday in a push to connect with the voting bloc ahead of the election in November.
After opening his remarks with the Arabic greeting “Salam alaikum”, Mr Walz acknowledged the pain felt by Muslim and Arab Americans over the war in Gaza, where more than 41,700 Palestinians have been killed over the past year.
“I know the pain of this community is deep; our hearts are broken,” he said. “This war must end, and it must end now. The vice president’s working every day to ensure that, to make sure Israel secures itself, the hostages are home, the suffering in Gaza ends now, and the Palestinian people realise the right to dignity, freedom and self-determination.”
Mr Walz added that he and Ms Harris are committed to condemning anti-Arab and Islamophobic sentiment, which he said is led by former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump. He also pledged “a commitment that Muslims will be engaged in this administration and serve side by side”.
The majority of Arab and Muslim voters have historically backed Democrats, but President Joe Biden’s unequivocal support for Israel in the war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas-led attack on October 7, has significantly eroded that support.
Ms Harris has shown little sign of intent to change policy on Israel, even amid a widening conflict in the Middle East, with Israel's bombing campaign and invasion of southern Lebanon killing about 2,000 people. She has instead reiterated that Israel has a right to defend itself.
On Wednesday, Ms Harris's national security adviser announced that he had met Muslim, Arab and Palestinian-American community leaders to discuss the latest developments in the region, but some of those on the zoom call felt it did not go far enough in addressing concerns.
Last week, Emgage announced that it was endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket, citing the need to prevent Mr Trump from returning to the White House, who as president passed the so-called Muslim travel ban.
“This endorsement is not an agreement with Vice President Harris on all issues, but rather, an honest guidance to our voters regarding the difficult choice they confront at the ballot box,” the group said in a statement.
Two weeks ago, the “uncommitted” anti-war movement that garnered more than 740,000 protest votes in the Democratic primaries announced that it would not endorse Ms Harris.
The group has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and supports an arms embargo on Israel.
On Wednesday, the Arab American Institute published a poll showing Mr Trump ahead of Ms Harris by 4 percentage points among likely Arab-American voters.
Some have pledged to vote for third-party candidates like Jill Stein and Cornel West, who have voiced support for the Palestinian cause. Others said they are undecided or would stay home. Some, including the mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, have endorsed Mr Trump.
The stakes are high for Ms Harris and Mr Trump, who are headed for a close election, and diminished support or low turnout could have a significant impact, especially in Michigan, a critical battleground state with a significant Muslim and Arab population.
Mr Walz was joined on the “Million Muslim Votes” summit by progressive officials including former House representative from Michigan Andy Levin, Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, California Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Chris Van Hollen.
