Joe Biden’s balancing act to emerge politically unscathed from the conflict between Israel and Hamas appears to have failed. At least according to the latest Arab American Institute survey. According to the analysis center, the Arab American community’s support for the president fell sharply compared to 2020, rising from 59% to 17%.
The reason, according to the trend study, lies precisely in Washington’s decision to remain close to its historic ally in the Middle East, despite the indiscriminate bombings on the Strip, which, according to local authorities, have taken place to date, have claimed almost 10,000 victims. Joe Biden was well aware of the possible internal repercussions and, for this reason, while condemning the October 7 Hamas attack and offering unconditional support for Israel’s “right to self-defense,” he repeatedly, even publicly, condemned Tel Aviv Action called for response that did not repeat “our mistakes after 9/11” and limited the consequences for innocent civilians.
However, the images arriving daily from the Palestinian enclave show how Washington’s invitation is being ignored: dozens of people unrelated to the Islamist terrorist organization die every day, including many women and children, while Israel’s raids also hit hospitals. UN facilities and schools. This means that the Arab-American community has also lost its position. The share of approval for the Biden administration had already fallen from 59% to 35% before the outbreak of the conflict, but in less than a month it further halved, falling to 17% for the time being.
A situation that has also led to another negative record: It is the first time since 1997 that the majority of Arab Americans do not define themselves as Democrats. 32% say they are Republican and 31% say they are independent. Additionally, 40% of respondents said they would vote for former President Donald Trump, up 5% from 2020. Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib also accused the president of “supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people”: “ The American people don’t do that.” Buy it. We will remember this in 2024,” he attacked in a video, one religious community after the Christian, bypassing the Jewish one. All votes that the president must try to retain in order to remain at the top of the country.