DETROIT – As Israel continues to bombard Gaza in its now weekslong campaign against Hamas, which has killed thousands of civilians, U.S. Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib is accusing President Joe Biden of supporting what she calls the genocide of Palestinians.
Democratic Rep. Tlaib is calling on Biden -- who has taken a pro-Israel stance and requested to provide the country with over $14 billion in military aid -- to support a ceasefire in the region. Since the war began last month, the Israeli government’s attacks on Gaza have killed at least 9,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
“The number of children killed in Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world’s conflict zones since 2019,” Tlaib wrote last week, in part, on X, formerly Twitter.
Over 1,400 Israelis were also killed when Hamas attacked a music festival and Israeli settlements on Oct. 7.
Since showing strong support for Israel at the onset of the crisis, Biden has recently pushed for a humanitarian “pause” to help allow civilians to leave the war zone, and to allow more humanitarian aid to enter the region. The Gaza Strip has been under blockade by Israel and Egypt for years, and Israel has cut off movement of food, water and fuel into the region amid its latest war with Hamas, a militant group that took power over the strip in 2007.
But Tlaib and other congressional members argue a “pause” is not enough, saying that the White House should be pushing for a total ceasefire as Israeli ground forces advance in Gaza in what the Israeli military last week called “heavy fighting with militants.”
On Friday, Nov. 3, Tlaib posted a video to X that showed clips of injured civilians in Gaza, anti-war protests across the U.S., and moments of Biden showing support for Israel. In the video, multiple Michigan protests were featured, with audio of protesters chanting: “End the blockade. Break the siege,” and, “From the river to the sea.”
After saying herself, “Mr. President: The American people are not with you on this one,” Tlaib’s video ended with a written message for the president.
“Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people. The American people won’t forget. Biden, support a ceasefire now. Or don’t count on us in 2024,” the video message read.
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Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, represents Michigan’s 12th congressional district that includes significant Arab populations in Wayne County. She has staunchly opposed the U.S. president’s pro-Israel position since the conflict escalated in October.
Other Michigan leaders have stood in support of Israel and in favor of Biden’s approach, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer and state Attorney General Dana Nessel. As the conflict deepens, Nessel is among many showing concern over Hamas’ actions and intentions, saying Tlaib’s latest message is “hurtful to so many.”
Tlaib identified the chant “from the river to the sea” as an “aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.” Michigan state Senator Jeremy Ross, on the other hand, says: “Hamas uses it as a rallying cry. And they don’t simply want to displace Jews in Israel. They want Jews dead.”
The strife present among Michigan politicians is a familiar problem nationwide. It’s too soon to say for certain how the White House’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war will affect the polls in 2024, but a recent survey found that support for Biden has dropped among Arab Michigan Democrats amid the Gaza siege.
According to a survey conducted by Lake Research Partners and first reported by NBC News, only 16% of a “relative handful of Arab and Muslim Democrats surveyed” said they would vote for Biden if the presidential election were held today. Results showed that two-thirds of Arab and Muslim Democrats said they think they will vote to replace Biden as president, and three-quarters said they would be willing to vote for a third-party candidate, NBC reports. It is important to note that not all Palestinians identify as Muslim or practice Islam.
Outside of those who identified as Arab and Muslim, voters under the age of 30 were also unhappy with Biden’s handling of the conflict, with about 56% of them giving Biden a “poor” rating -- the lowest rating possible in the survey.
Biden overwhelmingly won over Democratic voters in Michigan in 2020, including in the precincts that are comprised of high concentrations of Arab and Muslim Americans. Metro Detroit is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country.
Reports say Michigan survey participants could be judging Biden on his own rather than in comparison to his potential competitors in the 2024 election, including Republican and former President Donald Trump -- who has taken an even sharper pro-Israel stance and has revived his plans to keep many Muslims from coming to the U.S. The survey suggests, according to NBC analysts, that Biden could win back these voters if he pushes for a ceasefire and does more to support Palestinian civilians.
A majority of the U.S. Congress has backed Biden and his pro-Israel stance. Last Thursday, the House approved a nearly $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel. However, Biden said he would veto the bill if it passes in the Senate due to a Republican addition that would require the emergency aid to be offset with cuts in government spending elsewhere.
White House officials said last week that the U.S. government is increasing its humanitarian supplies going into Gaza. A newly confirmed ambassador to Israel was also expected to be dispatched to the region soon to help “create conditions for a humanitarian pause,” officials said.
Last week, dozens of injured Palestinians and hundreds of foreign nationals were allowed to leave Gaza and enter into Egypt. Biden said he convinced both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to allow aid into Gaza, allowing for some civilians to escape the barrage.