Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris met with Arab-American and Muslim community leaders in Flint, Michigan, to gain support from voters frustrated by US backing for Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Friday’s meeting in the key swing state of Michigan is one of several attempts in recent days to build relationships with Muslim and Arab voters who strongly backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 but could deprive Harris of important votes.
Company officials said Harris expressed her concern about the scale of suffering in the Gaza Strip, civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon and discussed efforts to end the war and prevent the spread of war in the region.
Participants expressed deep frustration with the way the US is handling the crisis and urged her to do everything possible to end the war and review the country’s policy in the region, according to Wael Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action, which recently endorsed her.
On the other hand, the meeting included a good “give and take” on the issues, including “the need for a ceasefire, and the support needed from the United States and its allies to address the humanitarian crisis, the presidential leadership void in Lebanon, and the important role of the Lebanese Armed Forces,” according to Ed Gabriel, president of the American Task Force on Lebanon.
Among those not in attendance were Jim Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute and a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, Hala Hijazi, a longtime friend of Harris who has lost dozens of family members in Gaza, and Leaders of the Uncommitted National Movement protest campaign said they did not have an invitation to the meeting.
Harris’ meeting Friday followed other efforts by her team this week.
- On Thursday, her vice president, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, promised in a Zoom call to Muslim voters that Muslims would play an equal role in a Harris administration.
- Harris’ national security adviser Phil Gordon held a virtual meeting Wednesday with Arab and Muslim community leaders and said the administration supports a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, diplomacy in Lebanon and stability in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Critics’ claims stand that Biden and Harris have done too little to stop Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip while continuing to supply Israel with weapons to carry it out. In addition, Harris’ unwillingness to distance herself from President Biden’s Middle East policy amid escalating Israeli attacks could cost her serious losses in November.
