Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

Michigan Uncommitted Democrat Voters Lead a Movement Towards Defeating Biden in the 2024 Presidential Election

 

February 29, 2024

 

President Joe Biden said he hoped for a ceasefire in Gaza by Monday, while eating ice cream at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, NY, February 26, 2024. He retracted his statement on February 29 after a public rejection by Netanyahu.	Palestinian victims of Israeli massacre at the Nabulsi roundabout, in Gaza city, while waiting for food aid supplies, arriving at the Bait Lahya hospital, on February 29, 2024
A Palestinian father carrying the body of his daughter, who was killed in an Israeli genocidal air strike on Gaza Strip, file, March 1, 2024	Two of the Palestinians who were killed by Israeli occupation soldiers while waiting for food aid supplies in Gaza city, on February 29, 2024

 

 

Michigan’s ‘uncommitted’ vote protest against Biden’s support for Israel’s Gaza War is just getting started

 

Opinion by Richard Hall  

 

The Independent, February 29, 2024 

 

Joe Biden may have won the Democratic Michigan primary handily yesterday, but anger over his unconditional support for Israel’s war in Gaza led to a significant protest vote that may threaten his chances of winning the state, and the presidency, later this year.

 

More than 100,000 Democratic presidential primary voters cast their ballots as “uncommitted” on Tuesday following a campaign by activists and lawmakers in the state to impose a political cost on Mr Biden for providing political and financial support for Israel’s war.

 

In some areas of Dearborn, home to the largest Arab American community in the US, around three quarters of voters chose to cast their ballots as uncommitted.

 

In a crucial swing state, which Mr. Biden only won by 154,000 votes in 2020, those margins could prove to be decisive.

 

“One hundred thousand uncommitted votes sends a powerful message to the president that he’s got to change course or risk losing to Trump in November,” Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, which was part of the uncommitted campaign, told The Independent.

Mr Geevarghese noted said the campaign to convince voters to cast their ballots for “uncommitted” only began three weeks ago, and that those 100,000 votes may not account for the real number of Democratic voters who may stay home in November.

 

“Just based on our internal organising there were a lot of people who have given up or don’t think that their voice matters, so I think a lot of people did sit out,” Mr Geevarghese said.

 

“The White House should interpret that number as 100,000 people speaking for other friends and neighbours who not who did not vote for whatever reason,” he added.

As a Muslim woman, I understand the ramifications of a Trump presidency. I’ve lived through four years of a Muslim ban, I’ve lost rights as a woman, health care, increased taxes. All of those things that have happened over Trump and I’ve lived through them. And yet 30,000 Palestinians did not live through four months of Biden

Samra’a Luqman, activist and member of the Abandon Biden campaign

 

Biden surrogates have sought to play down the protest vote, pointing to a large turnout and more than 600,000 votes in his favour. They also noted that Barack Obama went on to win reelection in 2012 after facing a similar percentage of uncommitted votes in 2012.

 

But the Biden campaign has become increasingly uneasy about the growing discontent in Michigan and elsewhere over the Gaza war, especially among Arab Americans.

 

Earlier this month, Mr. Biden dispatched top officials to meet with Arab and Muslim leaders in the state — which is home to more than 310,000 residents of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry — in an attempt to limit the damage. Those pleas largely fell on deaf ears.

Samra’a Luqman, a Yemeni-American activist who is part of the ‘Abandon Biden’ campaign, said the effort to punish Mr Biden politically for his support of Israel’s war in Gaza is coordinated, committed, and just getting started.

 

“The fervour is there,” she told The Independent. “We have leaders in Florida, Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, so it’s not like this is some isolated campaign or only focused on one state or one area in particular. This is a national movement, and there is emotion and passion for the ousting of Biden from the presidency.”

 

Ms. Luqman said there was a gulf between what she has been seeing while campaigning, and the signalling from Democrats, political analysts pundits, who argue that Mr. Biden can win back support if he negotiates a ceasefire.

 

“If you’re on the ground, you know that’s just not true,” she said. “Thirty thousand lives have already been lost, and unless the president can resurrect them, nobody is going to be voting for him. It’s not about what he’s doing now, it’s about what he’s already done.”

 

People participate in a vigil for U.S. Air Force active-duty airman Aaron Bushnell outside the Israeli Embassy on February 26, 2024 in Washington, DC. Bushnell died after setting himself on fire while live streaming, according to published reports, in front of the Israeli Embassy in protest over the Gaza war. (Getty Images)© Provided by The Independent

 

More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s offensive in the densely populated territory, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The war was launched in response to a surprise attack by Hamas militants on 7 October that killed 1,200 people in Israel. Some 250 people were also kidnapped and taken back to Gaza.

 

The US government is Israel’s strongest ally, providing almost unconditional political and material support for decades. The US gives Israel around $3.8bn a year in aid for its military and missile defence systems, and has given more than $130bn since Israel’s founding in 1948.

 

Following the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people on 7 October, which sparked the latest Gaza conflict, Mr Biden has given Israel unconditional financial and political support. His administration has twice passed Congress to send Israel weapons worth hundreds of millions of dollars to carry out its war and asked Congress to approve a further $14.3bn in funding.

 

As the war has continued, Mr Biden has signalled his unease at the death toll, but has so far refused to call for a ceasefire or use billions of dollars in US military aid as leverage to pressure the Israeli government to change course.

 

Democrats have tried to persuade Arab and Muslim Americans to cast their vote for Mr Biden in November by raising the spectre of a second Trump term that would target the community, as he did during his first.

 

Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, said on CNN ahead of the primary: "It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that any vote that’s not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term. A second Trump term would be devastating ... this was a man that proposed a Muslim ban."

Ms Luqman said she faced this question frequently on the campaign trail.

 

”Nobody understands how bad is it Trump is for Muslims better than a Muslim, so these messages are condescending,” she said.

 

“I can tell you, as a Muslim woman, I understand the ramifications of a Trump presidency. I’ve lived through four years of a Muslim ban, I’ve lost rights as a woman, health care, increased taxes. All of those things that have happened over Trump and I’ve lived through them. And yet 30,000 Palestinians did not live through four months of Biden."

 

The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

 

Michigan’s ‘uncommitted’ vote protest against Biden’s support for Israel’s Gaza War is just getting started (msn.com)

 

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‘America Cannot Be Complicit': Dems Press Biden After 100 Gazans Die Waiting For Food

 

Story by Nick Visser  

 

Huffpost, March 1, 2024

 

Two prominent Democratic senators urged President Joe Biden to take immediate action to help negotiate an urgent cease-fire after more than 100 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City on Thursday.

 

Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who both sit on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the White House must demand accountability after the mass deaths and ensure aid can reach those starving in Gaza as soon as possible.

 

“People are starving in Gaza. And civilians are dying every day — including in this horrific incident in Gaza City today,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “This has gone on for far too long without sufficient action.”

 

Gaza officials and Israel have traded blame for the death toll.

 

The Gaza Health Ministry said Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd gathered near a convoy of aid trucks on Thursday. Officials described the gunfire as a “massacre,” saying more than 100 had died and more than 760 were injured as desperate Palestinians struggled to get food. It was the first major aid delivery to the area in a month.

Israel admitted that its troops had fired warning shots but claimed troops fired only on people who approached the trucks in a threatening way. Israel instead attributed many of the deaths to a stampede.

 

“We didn’t open fire on those seeking aid,” the chief military spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces told The Associated Press. “Contrary to the accusations, we didn’t open fire on a humanitarian aid convoy, not from the air and not from land. We secured it so it could reach northern Gaza.”

Related video: Biden reacts to Israeli attack on aid recipients (Al Jazeera)

 

The attack on Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza earlier this Video Player is loading. Al Jazeera Biden reacts to Israeli attack on aid recipients

The episode quickly prompted international condemnation. Biden said Thursday that any negotiations for a cease-fire will be further complicated, expanding his timeline for any eventual deal. And State Department officials said they were looking into “exactly what took place” in Gaza.

 

But the senators on Thursday urged the White House to act with haste after the mass deaths.

 

Murphy added that the deaths Thursday were the result of “the complete breakdown in social order in Gaza,” saying the situation was “spiraling out of control” without humanitarian aid and a negotiated cease-fire. 

 

Palestinians, who are unable to meet their basic needs as the Israeli military obstructs humanitarian aid, receive flour from an aid truck that arrived Thursday at Gaza City. Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images© Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images

 

“To be clear, Hamas started this war and could end it tomorrow by releasing the hostages and surrendering those responsible for the October 7th attacks,” Murphy said. “However, the appalling scenes from Gaza City today and the staggering civilian death toll that has already occurred in Gaza are not in Israel’s nor the United States’ interest.”

 

Murphy said Biden should use “all available leverage” to see Israel and Hamas reach a longer-term cease-fire.

Van Hollen added Thursday that “enough is enough.”

 

“America cannot be complicit in this ongoing humanitarian catastrophe,” he wrote. “We know what must be done, now we must do it.”

 

‘America Cannot Be Complicit': Dems Press Biden After 100 Gazans Die Waiting For Food (msn.com)

 

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Michigan voters call on Biden to press for Israel cease-fire or risk defeat to Trump

 

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said that she was 'proud' to vote 'uncommitted' against Biden

 

By Jeffrey Clark Fox News

 

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.  

 

Published February 28, 2024 9:48am EST

 

Arab Americans and Muslim voters in Michigan are calling on President Biden to demand an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, or risk defeat to former President Trump in November.

 

Biden's stance on Israel's war in Gaza has earned him fierce backlash from Arab American and Muslim community leaders, particularly in Michigan, which is home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the U.S.

 

"At this point in time, with what's happened internationally with our current foreign policy and the way Biden has been handling the situation, an ‘uncommitted’ option on the Democratic ballot seems to send a very strong message and to amplify our voice," Michigan voter Mike Abdul told CBS News. 

 

Arab Americans and Muslim voters in Michigan are calling on President Biden to demand an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, or risk defeat to former President Trump in November. (Getty Images / CBS News screenshot)

 

"Our goal is to organize enough people to vote behind the 'uncommitted' box to send a message to Biden and his administration," Michigan voter Lexis Zeidan said. 

Local leaders in Michigan are also demanding that Biden push for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza. 

 

"We've continually asked for and demanded a permanent or lasting cease-fire," Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, Abdullah Hammoud, said. "We have to see that echo in the highest office in the world, in the president's administration. 

 

"People are trying to come out today on election day and to cast a ballot for ‘uncommitted,’ to advocate for a course correction, or else we risk losing all American democracy with the re-election of Donald Trump," he said. 

Hammoud gave list of demands to Biden on the end of the war between Israel and Hamas. 

 

"We want to see a cease-fire," he said. "We want to see a restriction of military aid. We want to see the re-entrance of humanitarian aid, which is down 50% month over month now." 

 

"I think for me voting uncommitted today is sending a message of trying to hold our elected officials accountable," Hammoud also said. 

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said she was "proud" to cast a protest vote against President Biden in Michigan's Democratic primary on Tuesday. (Getty Images )

 

Prominent Democratic leaders have also signaled public opposition to Biden's policy on the Israel-Hamas war. 

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said she was "proud" to cast a protest vote against President Biden in Michigan's Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Tlaib's comments were shared in a video by Listen To Michigan, a group dedicated to getting Democrats in the Great Lakes State to vote "uncommitted" in the primary election. 

 

In addition to Listen To Michigan, a group called Abandon Biden has been pushing voters to publicly oppose the president for his failure to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. 

 

Abandon Biden is specifically targeting voters in swing states, which could prove critical in the 2024 race that is likely to pit Biden against his old political foe, former President Trump. 

 

Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History. 

 

Story tips can be sent to jeffrey.clark@fox.com.

 

Michigan voters call on Biden to press for Israel cease-fire or risk defeat to Trump | Fox News

 

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CNN's Anderson Cooper shuts down panelist in tense exchange about Gaza deaths: 'Don't really need a lecture'

 

'By the way, there’s also been slaughter in Israel, as well. So, there’s a lot of pain on both sides,' Cooper told Turner on Tuesday night

 

 By Gabriel Hays Fox News, February 28, 2024 3:20pm EST

 

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper shut down a CNN commentator’s rant about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza during a network panel on Michigan’s Democratic Party primary on Tuesday night. 

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper shut down a CNN commentator’s argument about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza during a network panel on Michigan’s Democratic Party primary on Tuesday night. 

 

After commentator and former Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign co-chair Nina Turner ripped President Biden for not doing enough to secure an end to Israel’s war in Gaza – while mentioning all the "bodies" that have been "laying in the wake" – Cooper cut her off, saying the panel didn’t need a "lecture."

 

He insisted the panel get back to discussing the primary politics that were the focus of the evening. Michigan’s primary vote had proven to be a noteworthy primary campaign moment for Biden, as a major portion of Democratic voters in the state – many Arab Americans – refused to fill in the ballot for the president because of his continuing support of Israel. 

 

CNN's Anderson Cooper interrupts leftist commentator Nina Turner as she talks about the dead in Gaza. 

 

Turner began her monologue lamenting Gaza’s destruction at the hands of Israel with her shot at Biden, slamming him after he floated the idea of a ceasefire while eating an ice cream cone on Monday.

 

"And so while this president was in the ice cream shop saying ‘I think there’s gonna be a ceasefire,’ 30,000 people have been slaughtered. People are living in famine. They can’t get medical care," she said, adding that a cease-fire "can’t come soon enough" for many Arab American voters in Michigan.

 

The commentator continued, noting how even the CNN panelists present seem insulated from the suffering of the Palestinian people. 

 

"So we get to be comfortable and talk about this like these people are widgets, when they are in fact suffering, and I am young enough to remember, colleagues, when Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and also Congresswoman Cori Bush called for a ceasefire very early on, they were called abhorrent."

 

"Now fast-forward to all of these bodies laying in the wake, and people are living through his every single day," the former Sanders campaign official added.

Cooper cut in, mentioning how Israel has suffered. 

 

 

CNN's Anderson Cooper shuts down panelist in tense exchange about Gaza deaths: 'Don't really need a lecture' | Fox News

 

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Related:

 

JAMES CARVILLE FRETS OVER 'UNCOMMITTED' PROTEST VOTE AGAINST BIDEN IN MICHIGAN: 'HUGE PROBLEM'

 

RASHIDA TLAIB 'PROUD' TO NOT VOTE FOR BIDEN IN MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY