Harris speaks with Arab Americans in Michigan on US policy regarding Gaza and Lebanon.

It is Washington. In an effort to garner support from communities who are angry by the administration’s response to the war in Gaza and the expanding crisis in Lebanon, Vice President Kamala Harris met with a group of Arab Americans in Flint, Michigan, on Friday. The meeting was brief with the intention of gaining support from these communities.

“The vice president heard directly their perspectives on the election and the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon,” her team stated in a statement. “All of these perspectives were discussed in detail.”

In a statement released by her campaign, Harris was quoted as saying that she “expressed her concern over the scale of suffering in Gaza” and that she discussed “her efforts to end the war” and to prevent regional war.

Regarding Lebanon, Harris voiced “concern about civilian casualties and displacement” and reaffirmed the approach taken by the administration, which is that “a diplomatic solution is the best path to achieve stability and protect civilians.”

According to the Arab American Institute, the state of Michigan, which is a critical battleground state, is home to approximately 400,000 Arab Americans, making it the state with the highest percentage of Arab Americans in the country.

It was not disclosed by either the Harris campaign or the office of the vice president that the list of participants was provided. On the other hand, Edward Gabriel, who is the president of the American Task Force on Lebanon, expressed that he was present at the meeting.

“We discussed the need for a cease-fire and the support needed from the United States and its allies to address the humanitarian crisis, the presidential leadership void in Lebanon, and the important role of the Lebanese armed forces,” he told the television station. “This was a valuable two-sided exchange, and we made important progress in our relationship.”

In addition, there were officials from Emgage, a Muslim American advocacy group that had previously endorsed Harris in September, stressing the threat that “Trump’s brand of authoritarianism” poses to “Muslim Americans, America, and the world.”

“An agreement with Vice President Harris on all issues,” the group stated in its endorsement, “but rather, an honest guidance to our voters regarding the difficult choice they confront at the ballot box.” This point was made clear in the context of the group’s endorsement.

Exclusion extended to pro-Palestinian groups

The Uncommitted National Movement and Abandon Harris, two pro-Palestinian activist groups that have been pressing for change in the administration’s policies on Gaza, were not present at the meeting convened by Harris.

“We weren’t invited,” said Layla Elabed, a spokesman for Uncommitted National Movement, the organization that assisted in organizing more than 100,000 Michiganders to vote “uncommitted” in the Democratic primary election in order to protest the support that the Biden administration has shown for Israel’s war operation.

Hudhayfah Ahmad, a spokesman for the Abandon Harris campaign, which is actively working to defeat Harris in Michigan and other battleground states in protest of the policy of the United States over Gaza, stated that the best way to move forward is to hold the administration and the Harris campaign accountable for their actions.

“We’ve remained firm in our position that we will not meet with the vice president or anyone from her campaign team, as that opportunity has passed,” according to his statement to VOA.

According to Elabed, who spoke with VOA, the meeting in Flint demonstrated that the group’s pressure on the Harris campaign is effective. However, she went on to say that the campaign ought to take into consideration the group’s request that Harris meet with “everyday Americans whose loved ones are being impacted by this administration’s policy to continue supplying the bombs and weapons to Israel that are killing Palestinians and now Lebanese people, including Americans in Gaza and Lebanon.”

Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon, which targets Hezbollah fighters supported by Iran, has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people over the past two weeks. Among those who have been slain is Kamel Ahmad Jawad, an American citizen from the nearby city of Dearborn, Michigan.

A Muslim organization that is focused on measures to raise voter turnout was the audience for a speech that was given earlier this week by Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Phil Gordon, who serves as Harris’ national security adviser, also held a virtual meeting with leading members of the Muslim and Arab communities on Wednesday.

Gordon’s engagements did not involve major Muslim and Arab groups, with the exception of the Arab American Institute and the American Task Force on Lebanon. Only the latter two organizations were included.

VOA was informed by James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, that the eight-person engagement with Gordon did not include any representatives from the community. Zogby was one of the participants in the engagement.

To our inquiries regarding the reasons behind the exclusion of these groups from the Flint meeting, the office of the vice president did not provide a response.

On the other hand, a representative for Harris’s campaign stated that he was “committed to work to earn every vote, unite our country, and to be a president for all Americans.”

“Throughout her career, Vice President Harris has been steadfast in her support of our country’s diverse Muslim community, ensuring first and foremost that they can live free from the hateful policies of the Trump administration,” according to the spokesman for VOA.

“She will continue working to bring the war in Gaza to an end in a way where Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

Harris’s outreach attempts come at a time when a recent poll suggests that support among Arab Americans for the Democratic presidential contender is almost identical to support for the Republican nominee, and that support is practically tied with support for former President Donald Trump.

There was a divided vote.

Thursday saw the release of a nationwide poll conducted by the Arab American Institute, which included 500 registered Arab American voters. The results of the poll suggested that support for Trump stood at 42%. By Harris’s count, it was 41%.

Trump was ahead of Harris by a margin of 46% to 42% among those who said that they were extremely inclined to vote.

According to the results of the poll, the community’s support for Democrats, whom they have traditionally supported, has decreased as a result of the administration’s efforts to manage the issue in Gaza. Currently, Arab Americans are split evenly between the two parties, with 38 percent belonging to each of them.

Aside from that, Trump has been trying to win over Arab and Muslim votes. Amer Ghalib, the Yemeni American mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, has given his support to him. He has already won his endorsement. It is the first city in the United States to have a municipal council that is comprised entirely of Muslims, and the city as a whole is home to approximately 30,000 inhabitants, of which over half are Muslims.

“Endorsing President Trump was a combination of disappointment and hope,” Ghalib told the television station VOA. “Disappointed at the current administration’s policies domestically and internationally, and in hope that President Trump will come to fix things up, end the chaos in the Middle East and restore peace everywhere, as well as preventing our economy from further deterioration.”

Last month, Ghalib gave his support to Trump after meeting with him in Flint, Michigan, which was also the location of the meeting.