A group of Muslim and Arab American leaders in Michigan said Thursday they would not meet with Biden administration officials who had been dispatched to the swing state amid the president’s falling poll numbers.
The Muslim and Arab leaders who are operating as Abandon Biden said that until President Biden calls for a cease-fire in the Middle East, they won’t give their time to anyone in the administration.
“President Joe Biden, you continue to be unwelcome to speak to our community,” they said in a statement.
“President Biden’s cowardly parroting of the worn-out claim that ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’ stands as a cruel insult to every Palestinian life ruthlessly extinguished by Israeli aggression, a reality they seem to ignore in the lead-up to this meeting,” the statement said.
“It mocks every child left orphaned, every family ripped apart, every home obliterated, and every hope cruelly dashed by the relentless barrage of Israeli bombs and bullets, subjects likely avoided in their forthcoming discussions.”
White House press secretary Karine-Jean Pierre said it was a “private meeting” and declined to respond to the criticism from the groups.
It is unclear how many, if any, Muslim groups had met with administration officials on Thursday.
Mr. Biden faces increased pressure, including from fellow Democrats, to take a tougher stance against Israel as civilian casualties mount in Gaza. They say Israel’s military assault on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is disproportionate to Hamas’ terrorist rampage on Oct. 7 and has sparked a massive humanitarian crisis.
Palestinian health officials say over 26,000 people have been killed in Israel’s Gaza campaign in retaliation for the Oct. 7 raid, a figure that cannot be independently confirmed.
Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist raid on Israel killed 1,200 people.
Mr. Biden is relentlessly heckled at public events by pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupt his speeches with chants of “Genocide Joe” and “Cease-fire now.”
Michigan is a battleground state that is home to a large population of Arab Americans who are furious with his strong support for Israel. The Israeli government has opposed a cease-fire, arguing it would let Hamas regroup and rearm and that the fighting will not stop until more than 100 hostages still in the terrorists’ hands are freed.
Mr. Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes in 2020, but the state has more than 242,000 Muslim voters, according to the U.S. Religion Census. That could make a repeat victory in Michigan a challenge this year.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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