President Biden faces a tug-of-war for the next 10 months to retain the Black vote – thanks mostly to champions for the Palestinians.
When the chief executive addressed an audience of 700 at a historic Black church on Monday, pro-Arab activists disrupted his speech as they chanted “cease-fire now.”
The protesters were ushered out and Biden recited a long list of possibly racist words and actions that he blamed on Republicans, particularly Donald Trump, who is touted as the likely GOP nominee for president. He also mentioned Nikki Haley’s failure to count slavery as the driving force of the Civil War.
Since Oct. 7, when Hamas butchered 1,200 Jews and others in southern Israel, Biden’s re-election campaign has been threatened by the loss of pro-Arab votes. They are incensed that Biden backed Israel’s ongoing military operation that has left 23,000 Palestinians dead (an estimate attributed to Gaza’s health ministry).
Arab-Americans have already said they will vote against Biden in November, and many critics of Israel will likely vote for candidates from alternate political parties or skip the presidential ballot line altogether. That could cost Biden if he loses enough of the six swing states. The largest Arab community in the country, located in the Dearborn, Michigan, area near Detroit, could tip the election in Michigan against Biden, or whoever the Democratic nominee will be by that time.
Those who advocate for the Palestinians usually vote Democratic because it is seen as the only viable alternative to Republicans, adamantly resist domestic policies designed to help the most vulnerable of American citizens.
Anti-Israel forces have spent at least the last two decades attempting to convince people of color here that the Palestinian cause is another case of oppressing of racial minorities. That is especially a pattern influencing some in the Black community.
There are important differences between the Palestinian cause and the Black community’s struggle. Many Palestinians are determined to destroy Israel, and there has been no similar conspiracy among African-Americans. Black leaders have sought to expand their place at the table, Palestinians have refused to speak with Israel or consider its peace proposals. Black protesters during the civil rights era did not whine about going to jail, but the anti-Israel bunch balks when they are arrested for more serious offenses.
The segment of Black people who identify with the Palestinians fails to understand that many Palestinians are not seeking social justice. Violence against Israelis is their goal.
At this stage, many Black people expect to punish Biden for not doing his best to stop Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
Already, the Black vote is a difficult matter for Democrats since turnout in the Black community is often low. Their low turnout in Philadelphia and Milwaukee, and perhaps Detroit, probably factored into Trump’s election in 2016 when he won Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Biden is wise enough to rebuild Black support, which was his main reason for picking for a venue on Monday the South’s oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. This church was the site of a mass murder in 2015 when a white supremacist killed the pastor and eight parishioners
The president treated the protesters with kid gloves after they interrupted him. He stressed that he was attempting to decrease civilian casualties in Gaza. “I understand their passion,” he noted.
Passion? What about repulsive? Or nauseating. But passion? Hey, sex abusers have passion. Maybe that’s what he meant.
The casualty rate in Gaza is a serious matter. I would like to know what makes the scale of this so necessary. However, the pro-Palestinian bloc in America long ago blew its credibility. They lie, they confuse, they distort the facts. How can anyone take them seriously?
Overall, Israel is in the right. Almost 24 years ago, Israelis suggested a plan for an independent Palestinian state, and they responded with violence. Why change now? Israel should remain open to a peace deal that might work, but who can blame them for being pessimistic?
Remember, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for protecting Israel’s citizens, and Hamas is responsible for protecting the people of Gaza. If Hamas cared about its people, they never would have invaded Israel to begin with.
As for a cease-fire, Hamas violated a cease-fire when it attacked Israel. How will a new cease-fire help Israel?
Let us hope that American voters recognize this charade by November.
Republished from San Diego Jewish World