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Biden Could Lose Key Swing State of Michigan Over Support for Israel

© AP Photo / Mohammed DahmanA Palestinian man cries while holding a dead child who was found under the rubble of a destroyed building following Israeli airstrikes in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023
A Palestinian man cries while holding a dead child who was found under the rubble of a destroyed building following Israeli airstrikes in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023 - Sputnik International, 1920, 02.11.2023
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Joe Biden narrowly won the state of Michigan in the 2020 election, thanks in part to the Muslim vote. But local leaders of his Democratic Party are warning that his unwavering support for Israel could cost him next year.
US President Joe Biden could lose the crucial swing state of Michigan, with its sizable Arab-American population, over his support for Israel.
More than 310,000 of Michigan's 10 million residents are of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
Two-thirds of the state's Muslims voted for Biden in the 2020 election, helping him win by 154,000 votes over Republican incumbent Donald Trump, who beat Democrat Hillary Clinton there by a similar margin in 2016.
But many are now threatening to oppose Biden's 2024 re-election campaign if he does not take a stand against Israel's total siege and bombing of the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Abraham Aiyash, floor leader of the Democrat group in the Michigan state legislature's lower house, stated that he and others had relayed the message from voters to the White House and the Democratic National Committee — but had received no acknowledgement.

"We've been clear that humanity should matter, but if that's not a calculation you're going to make in this moment, then recognize that there will be electoral reverberations," Aiyash said. "Certainly, none of us want to see part two of a Trump disaster presidency. But we're also not going to just passively give Joe Biden a second term if our concerns aren't even dignified by a response."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared war on the Hamas movement that rules Gaza in revenge for its Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel that killed some 300 soldiers and police and 1,100 settlers. Biden flew to Israel last month to pledge his full support, even after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bombed a hospital, killing 470 people.
The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, based in Ramallah in the West Bank, announced on Wednesday that 8,720 Palestinians have been killed and 22,000 wounded by Israeli forces since October 7. The ministry said nearly three-quarters of the victims were women, children and the elderly.
Biden softened his position in a campaign speech in Minnesota — home to many Somali-Americans — on Wednesday, saying there should be a humanitarian "pause" in Israel's onslaught, but only to "give time to get the prisoners out" in reference to hundreds of hostages taken by Hamas and dual nationals of the US and other states trapped in Gaza by Israel's blockade.
Newly elected US House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference after his election at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 25, 2023. Republicans on October 24 made their fourth pick in just two weeks to replace the ousted speaker of the US House of Representatives, underlining the chaos engulfing the fragmented party after three previous nominees failed to win the gavel. - Sputnik International, 1920, 02.11.2023
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US House Plans to Consider Standalone $14.3Bln Israel Aid Bill Despite Biden's Veto Threat
Rashida Tlaib, the first and only Palestinian-American US congresswoman, represents Michigan's 12th electoral district for Biden's Democrat Party. She narrowly escaped a censure motion in the House of Representatives on Wednesday moved by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a leading opponent of Biden's proxy war with Russia in Ukraine.
That motion accused Tlaib of "anti-Semitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex" for calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and joining hundreds of protesters against the war who occupied the Capitol Building two weeks ago. Many of the avid supporters of former President Donald Trump have been incarcerated or continue to be implicated in legal proceedings for their involvement in the protest that briefly seized control of the seat of Congress on January 6, 2021.
The motion was defeated by a decisive vote of 222 to 186, with the opposition coming from 23 members of the Republican House majority. These individuals, committed to the principle of free speech, expressed their concerns against the motion. That result indicated that at least 13 Democrats did not vote against the censure.
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