Biden faces growing pressure to back Gaza cease-fire

President Biden faces growing pressure to support a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with new criticism mounting after the US vetoed another UN resolution calling on Israel to implement the resolution. .

Growing criticism of his handling of the war from progressives and the Democratic Party as a whole is a real danger to the president, whose pro-Israel stance could cost him votes in key states like Michigan in 2024. Yes, grassroots groups are appealing to voters. “Abandon Biden.”

With less than a week to go until the Democratic primary in Michigan, calls for Mr. Biden to support a permanent end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip are growing louder, with the president so far showing no signs of winning on the situation. It shows that he is following an unconventional political path.

“After months of protests and activism in cities across the country continue to go unheeded, this veto is an opportunity for voters to send a message to the Biden administration at the polls,” Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Giebergese said in a statement. It shows exactly why this is essential.”

Our Revolution, a progressive political organizing group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (R-Vt.), is urging Michiganders to choose the “no-commitment” option that will appear on Tuesday’s primary ballot. .

“With only a few days left until Michigan’s primary vote, Biden’s blocking of the cease-fire resolution has intensified anger and encouraged peace supporters to vote ‘irresponsibly’ to make their voices heard. We just need to revitalize it,” Gievarghese said.

Mr. Biden’s performance in Tuesday’s primary election in Dearborn, Michigan, a Detroit-area town with a majority Arab-American population, underscored the deep sense of betrayal felt among the community. Dew.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud (D) said this week that Arab Americans who voted for Biden in 2020 are now being ignored.

“My biggest fear is that Biden will be remembered not as the president who saved American democracy in 2020, but as the president who sacrificed it for Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024. ” he said in an opinion piece, referring to the Israeli prime minister. .

Biden and his administration provided unrelenting support to Israel at the start of the war following the October 7 massacre by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds more hostage.

But as Israel’s military bombing of Gaza continues today, and the Palestinian death toll rises by the thousands and even tens of thousands, Arab Americans are increasingly concerned about the subsequent White House’s civilian actions against Israel. I feel that they are encouraging more people to sacrifice their lives, considering human life. Humanitarian assistance is severely lacking.

As a result, there is a growing movement among progressive groups and Arab American grassroots organizations in Michigan to send a message to Biden. Some groups have said they will never support Biden, a likely Republican rival who famously called for a ban on Muslims from entering the country during his 2016 campaign. Some groups say the president may have time to win back votes, while others say they won’t support even the president.

Other states with large Arab-American and Muslim-American populations will follow Michigan’s lead as they head to the polls for primaries. Minnesota will vote on Super Tuesday, Illinois will vote on March 19th, and Pennsylvania will have its primary on April 23rd.

The Abandon Biden organization has already launched a campaign in the Keystone State this week, adding another key battleground state to the list of areas where Democrats could withhold votes for Biden. Ta. The movement is based in Dearborn and Chicago, and also has a presence in Minnesota.

In 2020, Biden won 64 percent of According to an Associated Press exit poll, the Muslim vote increased across the country, with Trump winning 35% of the vote. Some strategists have warned that abandoning Biden could lead to another Trump presidency, which some argue would be worse for local communities.

“No matter how anyone feels about the ceasefire or the merits of the U.S. response to the war in Gaza, it is important that Michigan voters finally recognize that their vote in November is not a referendum on Joe Biden, but a choice. It’s important,”’ said Jim Kessler, Third Way’s executive vice president of policy.

He added that voters in key battleground states like Michigan are looking to Democrats and are looking forward to the choices and stakes coming in November.

“That choice would offer a good, decent person who disagrees vehemently on policy issues with a vicious, evil authoritarian who champions things like Christian nationalism and Muslim bans,” Kessler said. ” he said.

Meanwhile, the vote at the United Nations has deepened the sense of betrayal felt by some, raising warnings that Biden could lose crucial votes.

The United States was the only permanent member of the Security Council to use its veto to reject the resolution proposed by Algeria. The other permanent member, the United Kingdom, abstained.

“These developments will only hurt Mr. Biden’s chances by alienating young voters and voters of color who may be sitting at home disappointed in November,” Gieberghis said. “The president must change course on Gaza and realign with the values ​​of the Democratic base to strengthen the coalition needed to win the White House in 2020 and defeat Trump in November. ”

As a result of the UN vote, the ‘Forget Biden’ campaign in a statement called the US an ‘active participant in the aggression against the Palestinian people’ and told US demonstrators that ‘the Biden administration will not listen’. insisted.

“This is not just a diplomatic failure; it is a moral breakdown. The U.S. government’s blatant disregard for Palestinian lives and stubborn refusal to promote a ceasefire is an appalling attack on the concept of justice. “This clearly shows a lack of interest,” the group said.

The Biden administration has submitted another resolution to the United Nations calling for a temporary ceasefire and the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

In an opinion piece, Dearborn Mayor Hammoud told White House officials who visited Michigan earlier this month that “an immediate ceasefire is the only way to ensure the safe return of all hostages and prisoners of war. ” he said.

The Biden administration has been involved in months-long negotiations to suspend fighting between Israel and Hamas for about six weeks to free the remaining hostages taken in the deadly Oct. 7 attack. So far, no agreement has been reached between Israel. And Hamas.

The issue forced Biden to confront pro-ceasefire and pro-Palestinian demonstrators across the United States, interrupting his remarks and drowning out parts of his campaign speech.

During a recent West Coast Swings fundraiser, a protester in a nearby park held a sign that read “No Vote for Mass Murderers.”