Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Year : 2, Issue : 15
The efforts of President Biden and White House officials to reach out to the Arab and Muslim American communities in the wake of the war in Gaza have fallen short, highlighted last week by an at times tense, scaled-down iftar event compared to previous years.
The relationship with the Arab and Muslim American community has been fraught in the six months since the war began, with many protesting or fully withdrawing support for Biden over his pro-Israel stance since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. White House officials have held a handful of meetings with leaders but are sometimes met with invitations that are rejected. Biden himself has not engaged much directly with the community.
The strained relationship was on full display after a meeting with community leaders in which a Palestinian American doctor who had worked in Gaza walked out. The administration was faced with tough questions after the incident, including whether that was the first time Biden had ever engaged with someone who had actually been in the devastated enclave.
It once again underscored the risks Biden faces heading into election season, where a swath of disaffected voters upset over his handling of the war in Gaza could be enough to cost him key battleground states.
The small dinner and meeting were held this year in place of the nearly 350-person reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which falls on Tuesday to mark the end of Ramadan, that the White House hosted last year.
Source: The Hill
