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Arab Americans are angry with Harris, but know Trump is even worse

Arab Americans are angry with Harris, but know Trump is even worse


Is the disappointment activists feel in Biden and Harris over Gaza worth the risk they clearly see if Trump wins the White House?

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Arab-American activists are acutely aware of both their influence and the dangers posed by its use.

They demanded Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris push for an immediate and permanent one ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanonwith the threat against Israel of an American arms embargo if the country does not comply. But activists acknowledged that a Trump victory next week would only make the dire situation worse.

Speaking at a virtual media briefing hosted by the Institute for Understanding Middle East PolicyThose tensions were echoed in that some activists seemed far more committed to abandoning Harris and the Democratic Party than others.

Their influence comes from the presidential elections that are too close. The support or abandonment of a particular constituency could tilt the margin toward victory or defeat.

Harris has been storming successfully support from moderate Republicans rejected by the behavior of former President Donald Trump. And she did worked to clear the ground which President Joe Biden had lost with black and Latino voters since she entered the race 101 days ago.

But she is still vulnerable on her left flank to people who are outraged by her the horrific scale of civilian deaths in fights caused by the terrorist attacks Hamas launched an attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Has Harris done enough on Gaza to convince the voters she needs?

Halah Ahmad, a spokesperson for Listen to Wisconsin, quoted during Tuesday’s call her group’s success in April upon obtaining more than 48,000 Democratic primaries to support “uninstructed” rather than for Biden, who was then still on the ballot as his party’s expected nominee in November.

“We sent a clear message that voters in a key state are ready to part ways with the Democratic Party over this genocide,” Ahmad said. “The message that voters still feel is: if you cannot protect us from a genocide, especially a genocide that has been protested on this scale, you cannot expect us to see you as protectors of any idea of ​​democracy .”

She spoke just before James Zogby, a pollster and Democratic National Committee member who co-founded the Arab American Institute. Zogby, who has endorsed Harris, said His polling shows there are Arab-American Democrats “I want to overwhelmingly suspend aid to Israel if the country does not adhere to an immediate ceasefire.”

Harris, he said, “has done a little better, but not enough” on this issue — nevertheless, she could gain immediate political advantage from taking a stronger position than Biden on Israel’s actions.

“I still think she needs to move, and I don’t think biting off our noses, despite our faces, is the message we’re sending,” Zogby said.

Do these activists want Trump to win? Not really.

I had to ask: Is the disappointment activists feel in Biden and Harris worth the risk they clearly see if Trump wins the White House?

Trump’s message to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, was simple:do what you have to do.” He used the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks to reflect how beautiful Gaza could be as the waterfront was redeveloped.

Are fallen into disgrace And deleted attorney Rudy Giuliani, used a campaign-approved speech at Trump’s rally Sunday in New York City to label Palestinian toddlers as dangerous.

Zogby acknowledged the choice “as a gruesome challenge.”

“The reality is that no one for me can draw a straight line between defeating Harris, electing Trump and ending genocide,” Zogby said. “It’s just not there. And the risk of four years of Donald Trump is too great for me to take. that risk.”

Rania Batrice, a longtime Democratic operative who chairs the Institute for Understanding Middle East Policycalled Harris “far from perfect” but predicted a continued effort if she were elected president.

Batrice sees that as a very different kind of fight if Trump wins, quoting his threats to criminalize protesting.

“He’s going to criminalize all these tools that we have at our disposal to act and demand change,” Batrice said. “She hasn’t done enough, but there is a battle we can have that we just can’t have with Donald Trump.”

What I also heard at this briefing was a genuine sense of anger that one of the activists could be blamed for holding Harris back, even if it helps Trump win.

“Vice President Harris has put many voters in an impossible position where we are being asked to vote for a candidate who eagerly supports a policy of unconditionally funding and arming Israel to carry out its genocide in Gaza and its war in Lebanon,” said Reem. Abuelhaj, a spokesman for No truce, no vote in Pennsylvania.

Why Arab-American and Muslim voters can’t give up on Harris

Harris’ campaign pointed this out to me a black Muslim rally for her in Philadelphia two weeks ago. The Democratic candidate and her campaign has convened of Arab-American and Muslim leaders in other cities.

My sense of these meetings is that they heighten rather than alleviate frustration, with Harris expressing concerns about Israel’s actions, the return of hostages and the suffering of civilians. But there isn’t much to grab there. It’s part of a bigger script.

A line from that script, when Harris featured in a town hall event on CNN last week from Gaza to supermarket pricesleft activists seething days later.

Still, what Batrice said during the phone call stuck with me. She did not support Harris. Far from it. But she supported the idea of ​​not giving up the fight, acknowledging “that the allies who have fought alongside us will not have that option under a Trump presidency.”

Harris could have the ability to do better when it comes to Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. Or maybe she’s more like Biden in this than she lets on. But Trump doesn’t just lack that ability. He clearly has no interest in it.

Follow USA TODAY election columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan