President Biden is facing heavy pushback from Muslim voters and organizations after the House passed $26 billion in funding for Israel with his blessing Saturday.
The bill also includes funding for Ukraine and Taiwan, and Biden said he would sign it as soon as it reaches his desk. U.S. Islamic organizers have been attacking Biden’s administration for months over its continued support for Israel, and some say Biden signing this latest legislation would be the last straw.
“That heartless decision could mark the point of no return for what remains of the White House’s relationship with the American Muslim community and other Americans opposed to the genocide in Gaza,” Council on American-Islamic Relations’ government affairs director Robert McCaw told NBC News.
“The administration is already at its lowest point in its relationship with the American Muslim community,” he added.
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CAIR National described the aid as a “blank check” allowing the Israeli government to purchase the “offensive weapons it has used to slaughter at least 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza.”
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“Giving Netanyahu this blank check after all of the war crimes his government has committed would make our nation fully complicit in the Gaza genocide and likely mark a breaking point for what remains of Biden’s relationship with not only American Muslims, but many other Americans of all backgrounds opposed to the genocide,” CAIR wrote in a statement.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also criticized the bill during an appearance on MSNBC, comparing continued support for Israel to the Iraq war. Like CAIR, she noted that the Israel bill made no distinction between funding for defensive and offensive weapons.
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“We cannot continue to watch the carnage that is happening in Gaza and have the U.S. military assistance be a part of that carnage,” she said. “This is sort of an Iraq war moment. This is a moment where I think the public is not with us.”
The anger comes as Muslim voters in key swing states like Michigan were already threatening to abandon Biden’s re-election effort.
Muslim and Arab American community leaders refused to meet with Biden’s campaign director in late January. Arab Americans living in Michigan have traditionally been reliable Democrats, with Biden carrying over 75% of the vote in the Arab-majority city of Dearborn in 2020.
Michigan is essentially a must-win state for Biden come Election Day. He carried the state by just over 150,000 votes against former President Trump in 2020. The Arab and Muslim communities in the state number roughly 300,000, meaning a significant drop in support could swing the pendulum toward Republicans.
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