Kamala Harris’s senior adviser meets American Muslim and Arab leaders
Washington: In an effort to win back people enraged by the US’s backing of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon, Vice President Kamala Harris’s top advisor met with American Muslim and Arab groups on Wednesday.
According to the vice president’s office, Phil Gordan, Harris’ national security advisor, informed the local leaders participating in the virtual conference that the administration is in favor of stability in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, diplomacy in Lebanon, and a truce in Gaza.
Community leader and attorney Ali Dagher, who is Lebanese-American, said that Harris’ office’s outreach was insufficient. “It’s too little, too late,” Dagher, who skipped the meeting, said.
In what seems to be a close presidential contest, Democrat Kamala Harris will go against Republican former President Donald Trump on November 5.
While President Joe Biden secured the majority of Muslim and Arab votes in 2020, their support for Democrats has significantly decreased throughout the course of Israel’s almost year-long conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Biden and Harris, according to activists, have not gone far enough to halt Israel’s military incursion into the Palestinian territory.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the Israeli military onslaught in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel was reacting to an assault on October 7, 2023, by militants affiliated with Hamas, whom it claims murdered over 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 captives. With almost all of its two million residents uprooted and rampant hunger in the territory, Gaza has experienced a humanitarian catastrophe.
According to Lebanese official data, over almost a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, over 1,900 people have died and 9,000 have been injured in Lebanon; the majority of the killings have occurred in the last two weeks.
A Muslim-American advocacy organization called Emgage just backed Harris, but other supporters have advised them to avoid her. Harris may suffer if they choose to vote for third-party candidates or abstain from voting, according to pundits, even if they have not endorsed Trump.
Large-scale demonstrations have been sparked by US backing for Israel, particularly in closely fought swing states like Michigan that might determine the election. Biden, who withdrew from consideration as a presidential contender in July, and Harris have not shown any significant policy differences with Israel.
