Elham Asaad Buaras
Arab American approval for US President, Joe Biden has plunged to an unprecedented low of 17 per cent as he continues his “rock-solid and unwavering support” for the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to an Arab think tank survey.
According to a study released by the Arab American Institute on October 31, support for Biden among Arab Americans has dropped by an astonishing 42 per cent since his election in 2020. Additionally, a resounding majority of respondents expressed disapproval of Biden, with his rating plummeting to 29 per cent—a decline of 18 per cent since April.
“The dissatisfaction with President Biden is really quite significant,” said James Zogby, AAI’s President, during a virtual briefing. “His numbers are dangerously low, more so than I’ve ever seen for a Democratic candidate for president.”
The new data, surveying 500 Arab American respondents, coincides with Biden’s commitment to Israel as it continues a military operation in Gaza that has killed more than 8,500 Palestinians since October 7.
Many Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim American advocates have pledged not to back the Democratic US President in the November election over his stance on the war.
Despite providing Israel with more than $3.8 billion in military funding every year, Biden has pledged to provide Israel with further assistance, including ammunition and other weapons. The White House has also requested $14 billion in additional assistance to Israel from Congress this month.
In addition, critics have said that the Biden administration has alienated Arab American voters by failing to mention—or even dismiss—the Palestinian plight.
“This is war. It is combat. It is bloody. It is ugly. And it’s going to be messy, and innocent civilians are going to be hurt going forward,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said last month.
Biden has questioned the number of Palestinians killed in the conflict, saying that he has “no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using”. And his office has been accused of conflating calls for a ceasefire with anti-Semitism.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to a question about “anti-Israel” demonstrations by drawing a parallel to 2017’s deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“What I can say is we’ve been very clear about this: When it comes to anti-Semitism, there is no place,” she said, without explicitly mentioning the protests. “We have to make sure that we speak against it very loudly and be very clear about that. Remember, when the president decided to run for president, this is what he saw in Charlottesville in 2017.”
Biden’s handling of the Gaza conflict has also been dissatisfactory in other public opinion surveys since the war began.
Although the US has firmly opposed ending the fighting, a poll by the progressive think tank Data for Progress found that most US voters, including an overwhelming majority of Democrats, support a ceasefire in Gaza.
According to the survey, 66 per cent of respondents agreed that the US should push for a ceasefire. This included 80 per cent of Democrats, 57 per cent of independents, and 56 per cent of Republicans. That poll surveyed 1,329 likely voters.
A Gallup poll conducted earlier this month also showed that Biden’s approval dropped 11 per centage points (from 86 per cent in September to 75 per cent in October) among voters from his own Democratic Party.
The US president’s overall job approval rating was 37 per cent.
In a statement announcing the poll’s findings, Gallup noted the war in Gaza as a contributing factor. “Biden has faced criticism from some members of his party for aligning too closely with Israel and not doing enough for the Palestinians,” it said.
According to analysts, Biden’s staunch support for Israel could alienate progressive and young voters, hurting his chances for re-election.
Photo: Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march in Chicago, Illinois, on October 20. (Credit: Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu Agency)
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