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Israel’s war in Gaza – and American support for it – has become a major issue in the 2024 elections.
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Some voters are threatening to stay home or cast protest votes over Biden’s handling of the issue.
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But Trump would likely support Israel even more if he gets a second term.
Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza — and President Joe Biden’s continued support for it — has become a major issue in the 2024 elections.
After Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in the October 7 attack, Israel launched a counter-offensive aimed at eliminating the group.
This has led to the deaths of more than 35,000 Palestinians, mass displacement and the threat of famine in the Gaza Strip, and an international investigation into whether Israel is committing genocide.
Here’s a guide to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump’s stance on Israel — and why some are threatening to stay home or cast protest votes in November.
Where Joe Biden Stands on Israel
Overall, Biden has remained loyal to Israel as it waged its war in Gaza — but over time he has gradually pushed the country to change its course in the war.
His government has pushed for a six-week ceasefire provided Hamas agrees to release the remaining Israeli hostages.
In February, he described Israel’s behavior in the war as “exaggerated,” and a month later he announced the establishment of a temporary port in Gaza while urging Israel to do more to facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid into the country. besieged area. .
In March, the US abstained from voting on a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, allowing the deal to pass – although the administration was quick to clarify the significance of that vote downplayed.
In May, his government halted shipments of certain weapons to Israel over concerns about the impending invasion of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have taken refuge. He also threatened to halt further shipments of offensive weapons if a full-scale invasion occurred, although he has insisted he will continue to supply the country with defensive weapons.
Yet the Biden administration has also halted U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the main source of humanitarian aid in Gaza, over concerns that members of the organization may have been involved in the Oct. 7 attacks.
Where Donald Trump stands on Israel
Trump, the Republican Party’s almost certain candidate for president in 2024, has been somewhat dark about the current conflict and has criticized Israel numerous times over the optics of the war.
“I think Israel has made a very big mistake,” he told Israel Hayom in March. “These photos and recordings. I mean, moving images of bombs being dropped into buildings in Gaza… it’s a very bad image for the world.”
At the same time, Trump said in that same interview that Israel “has to go do what you have to do” and that “you have to get the job done, you have to get the job done.”
As president, Trump was even closer to Israel than Biden, and he took several steps that benefited the Jewish state, including moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. His government also recognized the Golan Heights – a disputed territory claimed by Syria – as part of Israel.
Trump has also said numerous times that any Jewish person who votes for Biden or other Democrats should “have their heads examined” — a message that many have found offensive, but which indicates he would support the country more strongly than Biden.
The former president has also reportedly promised to deport pro-Palestinian protesters to college campuses.
“If you get me re-elected, we’re going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years,” Trump told a group of Jewish donors in May, according to the Washington Post.
Why some voters might cast protest ballots — or stay home
Given that Trump is generally more supportive of Israel, you might expect voters concerned about Israel’s war in Gaza to vote for Biden.
That’s especially true because many of the most vocal opponents of Biden’s Israeli position are Arab and Muslim Americans, who have long been a scapegoat for Trump’s policies. Trump has also made vague promises to expand the so-called “Muslim ban” he issued when he was president.
But many voters don’t.
Hundreds of thousands of voters who would otherwise support Biden cast “uncommitted” ballots during this year’s Democratic presidential primaries in protest of his handling of the conflict.
While a significant portion of those voters will likely vote for Biden in the general election anyway, many say they are still waiting for Biden to change course.
Some are even saying it’s too late — that Biden has supported what they consider a genocide, and there’s no way they can vote for him again.
For these voters – some of whom may even have had family members killed in Gaza – they claim that the war outweighs all other considerations.
Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of the predominantly Arab city of Dearborn, Michigan, told Business Insider in March that while he believes Biden has been a “transformative” president in terms of his domestic agenda, some of his voters will never vote for Biden. now.
“A genocide outweighs all this,” Hammoud said. “Aiding, inciting, defending and supporting a genocide outweighs all that transformative legislation.”
Instead of casting votes for Biden or Trump, these voters can simply stay home, or cast so-called “protest” votes for third-party candidates who have no chance of winning, such as Green Party candidate Jill Stein or independent candidate Cornel West.
Read the original article on Business Insider
