Biden's campaign chair visits metro Detroit with Arab-Americans angry over Gaza war

President Joe Biden's national campaign chair visited southeast Michigan on Friday, mounting an effort to reach out to groups ? including Arab-Americans and Muslims ? who are angry at the administration for not demanding Israel call a ceasefire in its war in Gaza.

Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab-American News in Dearborn, confirmed for the Free Press that he met with Julie Chávez Rodríguez, the national chairman of Biden's reelection campaign. Another source familiar with the campaign's plans, but not authorized to speak publicly, said Chávez Rodríguez also met with U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, leaders of the Hispanic community in southwest Detroit and congregants of Fellowship Chapel, the Detroit church overseen by the Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit Branch NAACP.

The campaign did not immediately comment on the visit. Neither did Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, who has been demanding a ceasefire since Israeli attacks on Gaza began following Hamas' attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Another source familiar with the planning of the visit said Chávez Rodríguez met with a number of leaders from Michigan including Michigan’s Arab and Palestinian-American, Hispanic, and Black communities. The meetings are part of the administration, and the campaign's, efforts to meet with core constituency groups. Similar meetings have been held with groups across the U.S. in recent months.

Siblani, who has been outspoken against Biden and Israel’s actions in Gaza, said he talked with Chávez Rodríguez for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. He said she was very gracious and polite during the meeting, but he told her that many Arab Americans are upset over Biden’s support for Israel.

He said he was especially upset that she arrived on the same day that the Biden administration announced it was suspending aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

“And we're very angry, very disappointed and disgusted to be honest. We believe that the President has been a partner in crime … we feel that he's a war criminal who participated in killing innocent people, gave money, weapons munitions, and political support. … We’re very, very angry about what's happening.”

The Washington D.C. political website, Politico, also reported on the trip, saying it was called to help shore up local support for the president ahead of the reelection campaign swinging into a higher gear. Biden's poll numbers have been lagging and there are concerns that anger at the administration over the Israeli war ? especially among the large Arab-American and Muslim population in Dearborn ? could hurt Biden's reelection chances in a key swing state.

That feeling appeared to spill out as state Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn, told Politico several leaders declined to meet with Chávez Rodríguez, and a Friday afternoon meeting was scrapped. Farhat confirmed that in an interview with the Free Press, saying Chávez Rodríguez was coming to try to sort out the "road map" to trying to address the community's concerns.

"The answer to that question is not a political one. The answer to that question is a ceasefire," Farhat said. He added that while the president should understandably try to court votes in southeastern Michigan, "I think the wisest thing for him to do is listen to us (about demands for a ceasefire)."

"The community is hurting right now," he continued. "A lot of folks underestimate how personal this is with the Arab-American community. A lot of people have loved ones … who show them (via social media) in real time their homes, which have been reduced to rubble."

Dearborn's mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, was among those invited to the Friday afternoon meeting who apparently declined to meet with Chavez Rodriguez. On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, he lectured the campaign in a series of posts Friday afternoon, saying "This is not a moment for electoral politics. Over the course of 111 days, Israel has murdered more than 26,000 Gazans and displaced over 2 million, with no end in sight."

"Our immediate demand is crystal clear: the Biden administration must call for a permanent ceasefire to a genocide it is defending and funding with our tax dollars. Dearborn residents have tirelessly protested and organized in demand of a ceasefire. As their mayor, I follow their lead," he continued.

Detroit Free Press reporter Niraj Warikoo contributed to this report.

Contact Todd Spangler: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Biden campaign chair's meeting with Arab-American leaders scrapped