Progressive Rep. Primila Jayapal (D-Wa.) said President Joe Biden will lose Muslim and Arab votes in 2024 because of his full support of Israel amid its conflict with Hamas terrorists.
She warned Biden to be “cautious” when it comes to supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, but not to take the same position when it comes to Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
Meanwhile, Arab-Americans in Michigan have signaled that they broadly share the view that Biden is taking the wrong approach toward Israel — but it is unclear who they would vote for in 2024, if not the current president.
The Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) launched a longshot presidential primary this month, but even if the entire Arab and Muslim voting bloc rallied around him, it wouldn’t be enough to beat Biden in a primary.
An NBC poll shows that six in ten Democrats want Biden to face a challenger in 2024, but it is still unclear whether Phillips has what it takes to give Biden a run for his money in the primaries.
Meanwhile, all Republican candidates are staunchly pro-Israel, evidenced by all the top candidates speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday.
Progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.) said President Joe Biden should be “careful” about losing Arab and Muslim votes in 2024 because of his position and support for Israel
“I have been one of President Biden’s biggest supporters,” Rep. Jayapal told NBC Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday.
But she added: “I’m certainly concerned about his approach (to Israel).”
Hamas attacked Israel earlier this month in a multi-front offensive that led to the largest single-day massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. So far, more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.
“He will be challenged, I think, to explain an issue of this moral significance to people,” Jayapal said on the highly controversial issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The American people are actually very far removed from the position of the president and even Congress – the majority of Congress – on Israel and Gaza,” she emphasized. “They support Israel’s right to defend itself, to exist. But they are not in favor of exchanging war crimes for a new war crime. And I think the president has to be careful about that.”
While there have been widespread protests in support of the Palestinian people, the general consensus in the US remains support for Israel.
Republicans have denounced the calls for a ceasefire, claiming it is a way of telling Israel not to defend itself.
Meanwhile, the Republican party also points out that Hamas terrorists are using innocent Palestinian people as human shields, which they say has led to the major loss of Palestinian lives in the three-week conflict.
Jayapal made it clear that Representative Phillips is not the alternative that Muslim and Arab voters should turn to in 2024, claiming that he has almost identical attitudes on issues as President Biden.
‘Everyone has the right to flee. But I’m sorry, I have no idea what he’s aiming for that’s different from what President Biden is aiming for,” Jayapal said of Phillips’ offer.
“He took the same bold stands that President Biden has taken in this country on domestic issues,” she added.
During her interview, Jayapal was careful to say she was proud of Biden’s “domestic” agenda, as the president’s own party has turned against him on foreign issues after a series of blunders — including and starting with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
“I have been one of President Biden’s biggest supporters. I am proud to be a partner as he has been courageous and strong on the domestic front,” Jayapal said on Sunday morning.
Arab Americans are outraged by Biden’s support for Israel.
The president visited the Jewish state in the wake of Hamas attacks and told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the visit that the US “will continue to support Israel.”
President Joe Biden visited Israel and told his Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will “continue to support Israel,” which has angered pro-Palestinian Americans, who blame Israel for killing civilians in Gaza during the conflict with Hamas.
A report from the New York Times notes that Arab, Muslim and Palestinian voters in Michigan are likely to abandon Biden in 2024, which could contribute to him losing the state.
Michigan-based Palestinian American organizer Nada Al-Hanooti said there are 200,000 registered Muslim voters in Michigan, a state Biden won by fewer than 155,000 votes in 2020.
Muslim voters represented a significant turnout for Biden in Michigan, with 145,000 people voting for him.
“In 2020, the Muslim community played an important role in voting for Joe Biden,” Al-Hanooti said. “We made a lot of efforts to win the vote.”
Jayapal, a progressive congressman and Biden ally, said Sunday that Biden “needs to be just as courageous on this issue (of Israel) so that we maintain unity within our country in support of the incredible things he has done.”