Biden's handling of Israel-Gaza war angers Arab Americans and may cost him 2024 election

Arab and Muslim-American vote critical in several highly contested states, including Michigan

People in Dearborn, Michigan, which has large Arab and Muslim-American communities, hold a protest in support of Palestinians. Getty Images

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US President Joe Biden is in danger of alienating Arab and Muslim-American communities over his response to the Israel-Gaza war – and it could cost him re-election in 2024.

Arab and Muslim Americans are not going to “vote blue no matter who”, said Zeina Ashrawi, a Palestinian American living in Virginia, referring to the colour associated with Mr Biden's Democratic Party.

The President’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war has left Arab Americans feeling betrayed and many are considering not voting at all, she told The National.

“Arab Americans feel disenfranchised, we feel ignored – and I think in many ways we feel betrayed,” said the political activist.

“The Arab-American community in Michigan is seriously questioning backing [Biden] again, and there's even a serious movement for organising against him.”

Abraham Aiyash, a Democratic state representative in Michigan, told The National: “Some may say it's irredeemable, but there's certainly widespread loss of support for President Biden.

“People feel abandoned, betrayed by the level of callousness that's been demonstrated on this particular issue.”

A Gallup poll released on Thursday found that Mr Biden's approval rating among Democrats has plummeted to a record low of 75 per cent – down 11 percentage points over the past month.

“The daily results strongly suggest that Democrats’ approval of Biden fell sharply in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks by Hamas and Biden’s promise of full support for Israel on the same day,” the poll said.

Arab Americans say they are angered by Mr Biden's response to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza that began after Hamas gunmen launched an attack that killed 1,400 people.

They also say he has not done enough to push for a ceasefire and there has been a lack of condemnation of Israel, whose attacks on Gaza have killed more than 7,000 people.

Israel has in the past weeks tightened its siege of the enclave, blocking the entry of food, water, medicine and fuel, plunging Gaza into a humanitarian crisis.

It also ordered the evacuation of more than one million Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas.

Arab Americans say Mr Biden has not done enough to advocate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“Nothing could have prepared us for the complete erasure of our voices and radio silence from those whom we elected to protect and represent us,” Abdullah Hammoud, the Democratic mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Our family members trapped in Gaza have been ignored, our calls for a ceasefire drowned out by the drums of war.”

The Biden administration has vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire while pledging more military aid to Israel.

Arab-American groups say the administration's position has dehumanised Palestinians and triggered a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment.

On October 13, Wadea Al Fayoume, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy, was stabbed to death in his home in Chicago and his mother was critically injured after the family's landlord attacked them with a knife. He carried out his attack in response to the war and because they were Muslim.

The 2024 election is shaping up to be a rematch between Mr Biden and former president Donald Trump.

It is unlikely that many Arab and Muslim Americans would vote for Mr Trump. The Republican former president has made a number of derogatory comments about Muslims and when in office passed legislation that banned citizens of several Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

Many may simply sit the election out.

“Unfortunately, with the way things are looking, there are no good choices, not on the Democratic side and not on the Republican side,” said Emane Errayes, 28, a Moroccan American who lives in Michigan.

About 300,000 Arab Americans live in Michigan, accounting for roughly 5 per cent of the vote in the state, which Mr Biden narrowly won in 2020.

Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Arizona are also hotly contested states where the Arab-American vote would make a difference.

Historically, the majority of Arab Americans have voted for Democratic candidates.

And Mr Biden had campaigned on promises of more inclusivity and representation. He has appointed more Arab Americans and Muslims to important political positions, including two federal judges.

“I never expected this to come from a Democratic president,” said Rima Mohammad, a Palestinian American and a Democrat living in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Last week, representatives of Arab and Palestinian-American groups held a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which they sounded the alarm over Mr Biden's dwindled support in their communities.

And on October 13, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan invited several leaders of Arab-American and Muslim-American groups to the White House to discuss the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza and helping civilians, including Palestinian Americans, to leave.

Dozens of Palestinian Americans remain stuck in Gaza, awaiting a diplomatic breakthrough that would allow them to leave through the Egyptian border.

Mr Aiyash, the Democratic representative from Michigan, said Arab Americans cannot be expected to reward candidates who ignored opportunities at change, with re-elections.

“We were promised a seat at the table,” Mr Aiyash said. “We were promised to have input on decisions that are made as it relates to the field that directly impact our communities.

“And this is a clear example where that is not happening – in fact, we are completely ignored in this process.”

The latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures

Palestinians check the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Israeli soldiers and military vehicles near the border with Gaza. EPA

Palestinians injured in Israeli air raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

Protesters call for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attack. AFP

The protest was held near the headquarters of the Israeli Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv. AFP

Smoke and flames rise from buildings after an Israeli strike on Gaza City. AFP

Destruction in Gaza City after an Israeli air strike. AFP

A wounded Palestinian is taken into Al Shifa hospital after Israeli air strikes on Gaza City. AP

Israelis at a cemetery in Holon during a funeral take cover as a siren warns of incoming rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. AP

Posters of hostages abducted by Hamas form part of an installation consisting of 224 light pillars erected by the Jerusalem municipality outside Teddy Stadium. AFP

Supporters of Palestine hold a rally in New York's financial district to demand that American financial institutions stop financing weapons manufacturing. AFP

Army rescue crews assess the damage after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a building in Rishon LeTsiyon, Israel. Getty Images

Israeli strikes as seen from a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians. Reuters

Israeli armoured vehicles take part in an operation, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, at a location given as the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Palestinian man is comforted as he mourns the death of his daughter and his wife, who were killed by Israeli strikes. Reuters

Satellite view of damaged areas in the Beit Hanoun district of Gaza as a result of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Reuters

Beit Hanoun was hit by Israeli missiles. Reuters

Two brothers on a stretcher after being rescued from beneath the rubble of a destroyed area in Gaza. EPA

Israeli security forces gather along a cordoned-off street where an apartment building was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza, in Rishon LeZion, near Tel Aviv. AFP

Rescuers in front of an apartment building hit by a rocket in the Israeli city of Rishon LeZion. AFP

Red Crescent Society employees and volunteers handle humanitarian aid bound for Gaza at a warehouse in Arish, Egypt. EPA

Men lower one of the coffins during the funeral of British-Israelis Lianne Sharabi and her daughters Noiya Sharabi, 16, and Yahel Sharabi, 13, in Kfar Harif, Israel. EPA

An Israeli soldier in a ruined house in the kibbutz of Beeri, near the border with Gaza. EPA

The aftermath of wide-scale strikes, which Israel says struck Hamas emergency operational apparatus, including war rooms, infrastructure and military headquarters, in Gaza. Reuters

Palestinians search for casualties after Israeli attacks on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Rescuers look for casualties in Khan Younis. Reuters

Palestinian Ali Daba and his wife have separated their children and given them bracelets to help identify them in case they are killed in Israeli strikes. Their daughter shows her bracelet at their shelter in Khan Younis. Reuters

In Tel Aviv, teddy bears with their eyes covered and signs of injury go on show to highlight the young children and babies missing, believed to be being held by Hamas. Getty

Palestinians near the rubble of a building following overnight Israeli strikes on the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society distribute aid in Deir Al Balah, in the Gaza Strip. Reuters

Pro-Israel, left, and pro-Palestine protesters face off during a demonstration in reaction to the Gaza conflict, in central Atlanta, Georgia. EPA

Orit Meir, the mother of Almog Meir Jan who was taken hostage by Hamas while attending the Nova festival in Israel, at the family's home in Or Yehuda. Reuters

A soldier puts on protective gear in Ramle, Israel, as he prepares to identify those killed by Hamas during the October 7 attack. Getty Images

Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strikes arrive at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, centre, speaks with the father of one of the hostages held by Hamas, before a UN Security Council meeting in New York. EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attend a meeting in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. EPA

Survivors of Israel's bombardment of Gaza being treated at a trauma ward at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. AFP

Smoke rises after an air strike on Gaza, as seen from southern Israel. Reuters

A woman holds placards identifying one of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas during a demonstration in Tel Aviv. AFP