Harris meets with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan

FLINT, Mich. — Vice President Kamala Harris met with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan on Friday, part of an ongoing effort to stem defections from a pivotal group of voters who have fiercely criticized President Joe Biden for his staunch support of Israel’s wars in Gaza and now Lebanon. Arab Americans make up an unusually large proportion of the Democratic electorate in Michigan, a state critical to Harris’s campaign strategy. Cheney and her father, former vice president Dick Cheney, endorsed Harris last month, and on Thursday the former conservative congresswoman said Harris would be the first Democrat she has ever voted for. Advertisement After Friday’s meeting with Muslim leaders, Harris spoke at a campaign rally in Flint, a majority Black city whose 2014 water crisis became an international symbol of government neglecting the basic needs of its vulnerable citizens. Harris told the crowd that Americans are witnessing an assault on fundamental freedoms, including “the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water.” “You know all too well, Flint, that clean water should be a right for everyone, not just for the people who can afford it,” she said. “And as president, I will continue to work with communities like Flint to ensure you not only have clean water, but the opportunity to recover economically and thrive.” Advertisement Earlier Friday, Harris met with leaders from Emgage Action, a Muslim advocacy group that has endorsed her candidacy; the American Task Force on Lebanon; and Hala Hijazi, a prominent Palestinian-American activist who has been outspoken about the scores of family members she has lost in Gaza. Prominent Arab American and Muslim leaders have blasted Biden’s ongoing military and diplomatic support of Israel, whose scorched-earth campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and fueled an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. In a statement Friday, Emgage CEO Wa’el Alzayat said his organization sought to “underscore the deep pain our communities feel over the intensifying crisis in Gaza and Lebanon.” Advertisement “Emgage Action called on Vice President Harris to do everything in her power, should she win, to end the war and reset U.S. policy in the region,” Alzayat added. “Emgage Action also reiterated the organization and the Muslim community’s disappointment in President Biden’s handling of the crisis that is now widening to a broader regional war.” Harris’s campaign released a statement about the meeting, saying she “expressed her concern over the scale of suffering in Gaza and … discussed her efforts to end the war in Gaza.” Harris also expressed concern about civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon, and talked about efforts to prevent a larger regional war, according to the statement. Advertisement In Michigan, where people of Lebanese descent make up a segment of the Arab American community, there is renewed anger about the administration’s support of Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon that began late last month. Advertisement But she has not stated a policy distinct from Biden when it comes to supporting Israel, disappointing many leaders of the Arab American community. The Uncommitted National Movement, a group led by Arab Americans that urged Democratic primary voters in Michigan and other states to vote “uncommitted” instead of for Biden, was not invited to Friday’s meeting, the group said in a statement on X. Alawieh called for Harris to promise that as president, she would stop sending weapons to Israel that are used for the assaults on Gaza and Lebanon. On Thursday, a group called “Arab Americans for Harris-Walz” officially announced its formation, saying it was made up in part by former uncommitted voters. Harris, the announcement said, would be far more receptive to change than Trump, who unwaveringly supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Advertisement “Together, we can protect the future from the hands of anti-Arab bigots like Donald Trump and build one where our voices are heard, our values respected, and our communities prioritized,” the statement said. “Only with a Harris-Walz Administration can we even begin to imagine that vision.” Biden, speaking to reporters at the White House, reiterated his support for Israel but cautioned about the country’s next steps. … [But] they have to be very much more careful about dealing with civilian casualties.” The State Department acknowledged that it mistakenly referred to Kamel Jawad, killed by an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon on Tuesday, as a noncitizen and offered condolences to his family. “We are aware and alarmed of reports of the death of Kamel Jawad, who we have confirmed is a U.S. citizen,” said the department, which referred to him on Wednesday as “a lawful permanent resident,” otherwise known as a noncitizen green card holder. Advertisement Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) criticized the department Thursday for referring to Jawad as a noncitizen, saying the remarks came “while the family is mourning and having services for Hajj Kamel in our community this week.” At Friday’s rally, Harris and several other speakers touched on the water crisis, still a searing memory a decade after it was brought to light. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/04/harris-rally-flint-detroit-michigan/