Muslim leaders are ‘out of words’’ as they tire of the White House outreach on the war in Gaza

WASHINGTON — Osama Siblani was drinking his morning coffee in the office when his phone buzzed with a message from one of President Joe Biden’s advisers. As publisher of the Arab American News in Dearborn, Michigan, Siblani occasionally serves as a sounding board, and the White House wanted to know what he thought of Biden’s recent phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After months of mounting concern over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, Biden had publicly, albeit vaguely, threatened to cut off US aid to Israel’s military operations in the Hamas-controlled area.

“These are small steps,” Siblani said. “What we need are giant steps instead of baby steps.”

The text exchange is an example of the behind-the-scenes communication the White House has fostered at a time of anger toward the Democratic president over his support for Israel. Such informal contacts have become more important as some Muslim and Arab-American leaders have turned down opportunities to talk to Biden or his advisers, frustrated by the sense that their private conversations and public fears have done little or nothing to convince him to change course to change.

The White House says it is keeping the door open for difficult conversations, but it could be difficult to get people through.

“All they are trying to do is convince us that there is a movement towards where we want,” Siblani said. ‘But it’s too slow and it drags. There are more and more deaths and victims.”

The most notable example of the stonewalling came last week when a Palestinian-American doctor left a meeting with Biden. But interviews with Muslim and Arab-American leaders show that this personal protest was just the most high-profile case of a rift that has damaged crucial relationships and closed off avenues needed to repair them.

“What else can we tell the White House to make them change course? I’m at a loss for words,” said Michigan State Rep. Abraham Aiyash, who met with senior officials in February but has not had any contact with them since.

Dan Koh, deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, said the administration “wants to make sure we are as accessible as possible.”

“We understand that some people do not want to get involved. We respect that,” he said. “But we think the people who signed up found it a fruitful discussion.”

Top White House officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Senior Advisor Anita Dunn and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, are involved. Biden is briefed on their conversations, and Vice President Kamala Harris has spoken to Muslims, Arab Americans and Palestinian Americans.

The White House believes it can still find a receptive audience, such as a recent series of meetings with Lebanese Americans that focused on efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading along Israel’s northern border, where Hezbollah operates.

But the situation poses a challenge for a president who believes in the political power of personal relationships and who has valued his history of dealing with opponents and critics. It could also jeopardize his re-election this year, as some Muslims warn they are unwilling to support Biden even if it risks sending Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, back to the White House.

Salam Al-Marayati, who lives in Los Angeles and heads the Muslim Public Affairs Council, described the attitude as: “Forget them. They need to be taught a lesson. And if they lose, that’s the lesson they have to learn.”

His disillusionment with Biden began shortly after the war began on October 7, when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in a surprise attack. The president described himself as a Zionist during a trip to Israel later that month, emphasizing his belief in the importance of a Jewish state as a guarantor of the safety of people who have been persecuted around the world in the past.

Al-Marayati heard the statement differently.

“What it meant was that he did not care about the Palestinian people and their displacement,” he said.

Al-Marayati and members of his organization did participate in meetings with National Security Council and Foreign Ministry officials, but he soured on the talks.

“We realized they were not listening,” Al-Marayati said. “Maybe they nodded when we spoke, but they continued with the same policy.”

As the war enters its seventh month, Israel has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza-based Ministry of Health, an agency within the Hamas-controlled government.

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who is Muslim, said it is still important to support Biden as a shield against Trump’s return, saying that “our democracy is at stake.”

But when it comes to the war, Omar said, Biden “is not where we need him right now, and our job is to push him and get him where we need him.”

“It is incredibly difficult to have a conversation when there is no policy change from the White House regarding stopping the supply of weapons to Israel,” she said.

That is a step Biden did not want to take, even though he has come closer to that limit. After Biden’s most recent call with Netanyahu, the White House said the president “has made clear that U.S. policy on Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action” to protect civilians and enable more humanitarian assistance .

The conversation came two days after Biden met with Muslim leaders at the White House. Officials had originally tried to arrange an iftar meal, where Biden could join Muslims as they broke their daily fast for Ramadan after sunset. But too many people declined invitations, put off by the thought of eating with Biden while he simultaneously supports Israeli military operations that have brought Palestinians to the brink of famine.

The White House changed its plans and organized a private meeting about the war. One of the guests was Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-American doctor from Chicago who has volunteered in Gaza. Angered by the continued flow of American weapons into Israel, Ahmad stood up during the meeting and told Biden he was walking out.

Among the leaders who have continued to talk to the administration is Wa’el Alzayat, who lives in the Washington DC area and heads the advocacy group Emgage. The former U.S. State Department official said he is texting or calling senior officials to convey sentiments from the Muslim and Arab-American communities and urge a ceasefire.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said he last met with government officials in February, and they have since sought his opinion. His city has the largest Muslim population per capita in the country, and Hammoud said he is always willing to talk if “there is a conversation that needs to be had that could lead to saving one life.”

Some meetings at the White House targeted Lebanese Americans, who fear the war could spiral out of control. One conversation took place last month in the private basement dining room of a Lebanese restaurant in Detroit. The other was organized this weekend by a Lebanese-American businessman in Houston.

Ed Gabriel, who helped organize the talks as chairman of the U.S. Task Force on Lebanon, said participants appreciated the opportunity to learn more about U.S. efforts in the Middle East. But there is frustration about the situation in Gaza.

“At some point the president says, ‘Enough is enough, it has to be done now?’” Gabriel said. “I know what they’re trying to accomplish. But after 30,000 deaths you can’t expect people to understand. And that is the president’s challenge.”

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Cappelletti reported from Lansing, Michigan.