The pro-Hamas protesters in Muslim-American communities may have warped values and promote an evil agenda, but they are clearly politically savvy and being organized to the advantage of domestic, partisan influencers. Simply going out into the streets, carrying signs and chanting about the destruction of Israel, and demanding a ceasefire obviously isn’t accomplishing much here in the United States. Those decisions are left to the government of Israel. But the one way they might be able to force some leverage is through political activism. A significant number of leaders of the Muslim communities in eight swing states gathered together in Dearborn, Michigan yesterday sporting placards vowing to “Abandon Biden” in 2024 unless he reverses course and demands that Israel pull out of Gaza. Given Biden’s dreadful performance in the polls recently, they are betting that this is the one message the President’s handlers might actually take to heart. (Associated Press)

Muslim community leaders from several swing states pledged to withdraw support for U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday at a conference in suburban Detroit, citing his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Democrats in Michigan have warned the White House that Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

Leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania gathered behind a lectern that read “Abandon Biden, ceasefire now” in Dearborn, Michigan, the city with the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.

The message is a terrible one, of course, because Israel needs to complete its mission of eradicating Hamas if the Jewish state is to survive. And to his credit, Joe Biden initially took a mostly solid stance alongside Israel. He has clearly been under pressure in the face of resistance from the left, but it has thus far been a more generalized resistance. The Democrats probably assume that the vast majority of those voters would come home next November rather than vote for the GOP.

This element of the pro-Hamas resistance is different, however. It’s very specific. The coalition could have been drawn up (and probably was) by a professional political consultant. Whether they would really carry through with it or not, they are threatening to sit out the next election in precisely the places where Biden can least afford to lose any votes. That’s the sort of message that will catch the attention of the President’s handlers who are fixated on maintaining power at all costs.

Could it work? As I said, we’ve already seen signs of Joe Biden starting to go weak in the knees. He’s been privately “cautioning” Bibi Netanyahu about civilian casualties as the fighting in Gaza moves to the south. And in just the past few days he has dispatched Kamala Harris to go preach the Hamas talking points at multiple stops. (Times of Israel)

US Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a speed round of diplomatic talks with Arab leaders on Saturday where she focused on shaping the outlook for a post-conflict Gaza, while calling on Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians from the “devastating” bombardment.

Underlining the public differences between the US and Israel over post-war Gaza, she said the Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern the enclave, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Israel that the PA seeks Israel’s demise and cannot be allowed to rule the Strip.

Talk about a sad state of affairs. Kamala Harris clearly knows as much about foreign policy in the Middle East as she does about artificial intelligence. Still, the message isn’t quite as bad as it might have been. She’s talking about a post-war scenario without Hamas being involved, which is good since that’s Israel’s stated goal. But turning everyone over to the Palestinian Authority (who has already said they don’t want the job) isn’t a viable alternative. Netanyahu has been very clear that the PA also seeks the destruction of Israel. They’re just not quite as aggressive as Hamas about it.

I’m far from wise enough to predict how all of this ends, but we’re not at that point yet. None of these discussions will matter unless Hamas is first destroyed root and branch, assuming that’s even possible. Once that job is accomplished, someone will need to begin rebuilding whatever is left of Gaza, which increasingly looks like a shattered moonscape these days. (Bad things happen in war.) Then the Palestinians will be left with a decision as to how they can best be governed if they can find a way to live alongside Israel in peace, or if they all need to be eliminated as well.