Muslim leaders ‘at a loss for words’ as they tire of White House intervention in Gaza war

WASHINGTON (AP) — Osama Siblani was sipping his morning coffee at the office when his phone rang with a message from one of President Joe BidenThe advisers. As publisher of the Arab American News in Dearborn, Michigan, Siblani occasionally serves as a sounding board, and the White House wanted to know what he thought about Biden’s recent call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After months of growing concerns about the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, Biden had publicly, if vaguely, threatened to withhold U.S. aid to Israeli military operations in the Hamas-controlled territory.

“These are baby steps,” Siblani replied. “What we need are giant steps rather than small steps. »

The text exchange is an example of the behind-the-scenes communication the White House has maintained at a time of anger at the Democratic president over his support for Israel. Such informal contacts have become more important as some Muslim and Arab American leaders have declined opportunities to speak with Biden or his advisers, frustrated by the sense that their private conversations and public angst have accomplished little , if anything, to persuade him to change course.

The White House says it’s keeping the door open for difficult conversations, but it can be difficult to get people through.

“All they’re trying to do is convince us that there’s some kind of movement toward what we want,” Siblani said. “But it’s too slow and drags. There are more deaths and victims.”

The highest-profile example of obstruction came last week when a Palestinian-American doctor left a meeting with Biden. But interviews with Muslim and Arab American leaders reveal that this face-to-face protest was only the starkest case of a fracture that has damaged crucial relationships and closed avenues for their repair.

“What more can we say to the White House to change course? I’m at a loss for words,” said Michigan State Rep. Abraham Aiyash, who met with top officials in February but has had no contact with them since then.

Dan Koh, deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, said the administration wanted to “make sure we are as accessible as possible.”

“We understand that some people do not want to get involved. We respect that,” he said. “But we think the people who engaged felt it was a fruitful discussion.”

Senior White House officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Senior Advisor Anita Dunn and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, have been involved in this awareness campaign. Biden is briefed on their conversations and Vice President Kamala Harris has spoken with Muslims, Arab Americans and Palestinian Americans.

The White House believes it can still find a receptive audience, such as in a recent series of meetings with Lebanese-Americans focused on efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading along Israel’s northern border. , where Hezbollah operates.

But the situation poses a challenge for a president who believes in the political power of personal relationships and who values ​​his history of confronting opponents and critics. It could also jeopardize his reelection this year, with some Muslims warning they are unwilling to support Biden, even if it risks sending Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, to the White House.

Salam Al-Marayati, who lives in Los Angeles and heads the Muslim Public Affairs Council, described this attitude as follows: “Forget them. They must learn a lesson. And if they lose, that’s the lesson they should learn. »

His disillusionment with Biden began soon after the war began on October 7, when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in a surprise attack. The president described himself as a Zionist during a trip to Israel later that month, emphasizing his belief in the importance of a Jewish state as a guarantee of security for historically persecuted people around the world.

Al-Marayati heard the statement differently.

“That meant he didn’t care about the Palestinian people and their movements,” he said.

Al-Marayati and members of his organization did participate in meetings with National Security Council and State Department officials, but he was embittered by the conversations.

“We realized they weren’t listening,” Al-Marayati said. “Maybe they were nodding when we spoke, but they were pursuing the same policy.”

As the war enters its seventh month, Israel has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry, an agency of the Hamas-controlled government.

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim Democrat from Minnesota, said it was still important to support Biden as a shield against Trump’s return, saying “our democracy is at stake.”

But when it comes to war, Omar said, Biden “is not where we need him to be right now, and it’s our job to push him and get him to where we need him to be.” it be.”

“It is incredibly difficult to have any conversation when no policy change is coming from the White House regarding stopping arms shipments to Israel,” she said.

This is a step Biden has been unwilling to take, although he has moved closer to that line. After Biden’s latest call with Netanyahu, the White House said the president “made clear that U.S. policy toward Gaza would be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action” to protect civilians and enable increased humanitarian aid.

The conversation came two days after Biden met with Muslim leaders at the White House. Officials had initially tried to organize an iftar meal, where Biden could join Muslims as they broke their daily fast for Ramadan after sunset. But too many people have declined the invitations, turned off by the idea of ​​eating with Biden when he supports Israeli military operations that have pushed Palestinians to the brink of famine.

The White House changed its plans and held a private meeting on the war. One of the guests was Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-American doctor from Chicago who volunteered in Gaza. Angry at the continued flow of U.S. weapons to Israel, Ahmad stood up during the meeting and told Biden he was withdrawing.

Among the leaders who have continued to talk with the administration is Wa’el Alzayat, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area and heads the advocacy organization Emgage. The former U.S. State Department official said he was texting or calling senior officials to relay the feelings of the Muslim and Arab American communities and push for a ceasefire.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said he last met with administration officials in February and they have since asked for his advice. His city has the largest Muslim population per capita in the country, and Hammoud said he was always willing to speak if there was “a conversation to be had that could lead to saving a life.”

Some White House meetings have focused on Lebanese-Americans, who fear the war is spiraling out of control. A conversation took place last month in the private basement dining room of a Lebanese restaurant in Detroit. The other was hosted by a Lebanese American businessman in Houston this weekend.

Ed Gabriel, who helped organize the conversations as chairman of the U.S. Task Force on Lebanon, said participants appreciated the opportunity to learn more about U.S. efforts in the Middle East. But the situation in Gaza is causing some frustration.

“At one point the president says, ‘Enough is enough, it has to be now?’ “, Gabriel said. “I know what they’re trying to do. But after 30,000 deaths, you can’t expect people to understand. And that’s the challenge the president faces.”

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Cappelletti reported from Lansing, Michigan.