harris-pushes-to-win-arab-american-votes-in-final-hours

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris made a final appeal on Sunday to voters at a historic Black church in Detroit and to Arab Americans in Michigan, a critical battleground state.

“We must act. It’s not enough to only pray; not enough to just talk. We must act on the plans He has in store for us,” Harris told congregants at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Detroit.

At a subsequent rally in East Lansing, Michigan, Harris addressed the state’s 200,000 Arab American voters, referencing civilian deaths in Gaza and Lebanon.

“This year has been difficult; given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza and the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon, it is devastating. And as president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza,” she said, drawing applause.

Arab American Muslims and anti-war activist groups have criticised the ongoing US support for Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.

Tens of thousands of civilians have reportedly been killed in the conflict, which has also forced mass displacement into neighbouring Syria. Israel maintains that its operations target militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

This year, anti-war demonstrations across the US have pressured President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential race, leaving Harris as the Democratic nominee against Republican Donald J. Trump.

The US has consistently backed Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon, even as human rights organisations report alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Harris, in turn, has faced backlash from critics who allege her party’s stance enables Israel’s actions in Gaza without accountability.

Observers note that Trump has frequently promised to address both the Russia-Ukraine and Hamas-Israel conflicts.

This, according to analysts, has put Harris under pressure to appeal to Arab voters by pledging to work toward ending the Gaza conflict.

Trump has accused Harris’s campaign of “hate and demonisation,” while both candidates have repeatedly criticised each other’s handling of various issues.

This election cycle, the Gaza conflict has become central to US foreign policy discussions, alongside other national matters.

Voting is set to take place tomorrow.