Washington DC – Arab Americans’ support for US President Joe Biden has fallen to an all-time low of 17 percent as he continues to back Israel’s offensive in Gaza, a new survey shows.
The study, released Tuesday by the think tank Arab American Institute (AAI), showed a staggering 42% drop in support among Arab American communities since 2020, the year Biden was elected.
Respondents also overwhelmingly said they had a negative attitude toward Biden, with his approval rating falling to 29%, an 18% drop since April.
James Zogby, president of the AAI, called the findings “dramatic.”
“The dissatisfaction with President Biden is really, really big,” Zogby said during a virtual briefing. “His numbers are dangerously low, more than I’ve ever seen for a Democratic presidential candidate.”
The study was conducted last week among 500 Arab-American respondents.
We conducted a special survey of #ArabAmericans since the latest outbreak of violence in Palestine/Israel. Like many other voters, the poll reveals overwhelming opposition to the crisis response. Support @POTUS Biden went from 59% in 2020 to 17% today. pic.twitter.com/0pwbudYNRk
– Arab American Institute (@AAIUSA) October 31, 2023
The new data coincides with Biden’s pledge of “strong and unwavering support” for Israel as he continues a military operation in Gaza that has killed more than 8,500 Palestinians since October 7.
The Democratic US president is running for re-election, and although the vote won’t take place until November next year, many Palestinian, Arab and Muslim American advocates have pledged not to support him in his position on the war.
Suehaila Amen – an Arab-American activist from Michigan, a state with a large Arab community – told Al Jazeera earlier this week that growing anger towards the president would likely be felt at the polls in 2024.
“We are witnessing a massacre unfolding before our eyes, while America’s leaders have absolutely no remorse, no compassion and no shared sense of humanity for what is happening,” Amen said.
The United States provides Israel with more than $3.8 billion in military funding each year, but since the start of the war, Biden has pledged to provide Israel with additional assistance, including ammunition and other weapons . The White House also asked Congress this month for $14 billion in additional aid to Israel.
Additionally, critics said the Biden administration had alienated Arab American voters by failing to mention — or even ignoring — the plight of the Palestinians.
“It’s war. It’s a fight. It’s bloody. It’s ugly. And it’s going to be complicated, and innocent civilians are going to be hurt in the future,” the spokesperson said last week. White House National Security Secretary John Kirby.
Biden questioned the number of Palestinians killed in the conflict, saying he had “no confidence in the number the Palestinians used.” And his office has been accused of confusing calls for a ceasefire with anti-Semitism.
One example came Monday, when White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to a question about “anti-Israel” protests by drawing a parallel to the deadly 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville , in Virginia.
“What I can say is that we have been very clear about this: when it comes to anti-Semitism, there is no place,” she said, without explicitly mentioning the demonstrations. “We need to make sure we oppose it very loudly and be very clear about it. Remember, when the president decided to run for president, this is what he saw in Charlottesville in 2017.”
Since the start of the war in Gaza, other public opinion polls have also shown dissatisfaction with Biden’s handling of the crisis.
For example, while the United States has steadfastly resisted calls to end the fighting, a poll from the progressive think tank Data for Progress showed that most American voters – including an overwhelming majority of Democrats – favored a ceasefire in Gaza.
Overall, 66 of those surveyed said the United States should push for a ceasefire. This included 80 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of independents and 56 percent of Republicans. This poll surveyed 1,329 likely voters.
NEW POLL: 66% of likely voters agree the U.S. should call for a ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza to prevent civilian deaths. pic.twitter.com/xtdeTgXhHk
– Data for Progress (@DataProgress) October 20, 2023
Last week, a Gallup poll also showed that Biden’s approval fell 11 percentage points among voters in his own Democratic Party.
It went from 86 percent in September to 75 percent this month. The US president’s overall approval rating for his job was 37 percent.
In a statement announcing the poll results, Gallup pointed to the war in Gaza as a contributing factor. “Biden has been criticized by some in his party for getting too close to Israel and not doing enough for the Palestinians,” it reads.
Analysts have warned that Biden’s unwavering support for Israel could alienate young and progressive voters, hurting his chances of re-election in 2024.
As for Arab Americans, Zogby said Tuesday that Palestinian rights remain a major issue for them — something the Biden administration doesn’t seem to understand.
“Palestine remains a wound in the heart that does not heal. It’s as emotionally significant to people of Arab descent as Wounded Knee was to Native Americans,” he said, referring to the 1890 massacre of indigenous people in South Dakota.
“This cannot be forgotten. It is the symbol of an injury. And it’s real, and people respond to it viscerally.