As Trump, Harris woo Arab Americans, Michigan mayor readies to up pressure

Dearborn, Michigan – Abdullah Hammoud was pacing crossed his office, having an animated telephone speech astir erstwhile President Bill Clinton’s claim that Hamas “forces” Israel to termination Palestinian civilians.

By the clip the politician of the Detroit suburb of Dearborn sat down for an interview, helium had shaken disconnected the choler – astatine slightest connected the surface.

Hammoud, 34, appeared clear-eyed astir the aboriginal of the metropolis known arsenic the superior of Arab America and the mode guardant for its bereaved community amid Israel’s warfare connected Gaza and Lebanon.

“There’s a broad of grief that has conscionable covered this community, and radical are conscionable trying to manage, obviously, amidst the entirety of the statesmanlike predetermination with the backdrop of a genocide, the warfare successful Lebanon, the bombing successful Yemen and truthful on,” Hammoud told Al Jazeera.

Hammoud, 1 of the astir salient Arab American elected officials successful the United States who served successful the State Legislature arsenic a Democrat, has not endorsed immoderate of the candidates, urging residents to “vote their conscience” instead.

In a adjacent race, the tens of thousands of Arab voters successful Dearborn – a metropolis of 110,000 radical – and crossed Michigan whitethorn beryllium important for the result of the election successful the authorities and perchance the country.

That’s not mislaid connected the candidates: connected Friday, Trump is expected to sojourn Dearborn for a rally, and Harris has met Hammoud antecedently during the campaign, but not successful Dearborn.

Hammoud stressed the request to travel retired and ballot for the assemblage to marque its dependable heard.

“In this infinitesimal successful time, what is much important than thing other is lasting steadfast successful our values and our principles and lasting steadfast connected the broadside of 1 different successful the city,” helium said.

But for Hammoud, the conflict to extremity Israel’s sidesplitting instrumentality successful Gaza and Lebanon – the ancestral location of thousands of Dearborn residents, including the politician himself – does not extremity erstwhile the polls adjacent connected November 5 and a caller president is elected.

“Whoever assumes that office, we’re prepared to clasp their feet to the occurrence and clasp them to account,” helium said. “Everybody’s promising a ceasefire, but nobody’s saying however they’re going to present it.”

‘Pressure volition beryllium turned up’

Democratic campaigner Kamala Harris has said she would propulsion for ending the warfare and her Republican rival Donald Trump has promised “peace” successful the Middle East.

But some the vice president and erstwhile president are staunch successful their enactment for Israel.

Hammoud noted that the 2 candidates person articulated however they would woody with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has pledged repeatedly to proceed the carnage until “total victory”.

“But the unit volition beryllium turned up from our end. And we’ll beryllium leaning connected the broader antiwar conjugation that has been built – our national labour leaders, who person each stepped guardant and called for not lone a ceasefire, but besides an arms embargo against Israel,” the politician said.

“Heck, adjacent astatine this point, I’ll beryllium leaning connected young Republicans who favour an arms embargo.”

For Hammoud, alteration is imaginable careless of the result of the election. “The argumentation is there. Americans, by the millions, enactment this,” helium said.

“And what you’re not going to spot is 50 million, 100 cardinal Americans determination connected their values and principles. I deliberation it’s feasible for america to judge that millions of Americans tin determination a azygous idiosyncratic successful the White House connected this issue.”

Dressed successful a bluish blazer implicit a achromatic shirt, Hammoud deed retired astatine some large candidates implicit their stance connected the Middle East arsenic good arsenic their attack to the Arab assemblage successful Michigan.

In his bureau hung a representation of Lebanon implicit a Yemeni dagger, a firefighter’s helmet, an American shot with the Detroit Lions logo, the city’s seal – featuring an aged car owing to the city’s manufacturing past arsenic the hometown of concern pioneer Henry Ford – arsenic good arsenic different items representing Dearborn’s past and divers communities.

‘Policy outcomes aren’t dissimilar’

Hammoud enumerated immoderate of Trump’s anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian policies, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, cutting disconnected humanitarian assistance to Palestinians and recognising Israel’s claimed sovereignty implicit Syria’s occupied Golan Heights.

He besides invoked Trump’s prohibition connected question from respective Muslim-majority countries arsenic good arsenic caller comments by the erstwhile president’s surrogate Rudy Giuliani, who proclaimed that Palestinians are “taught to termination us” astatine 2 years old.

“But I deliberation the trouble is you privation to antagonistic Trump with thing that seems to beryllium much welcoming,” Hammoud said.

“And truthful erstwhile you spot the remarks of erstwhile President Bill Clinton, talking astir however Israel is forced to termination civilians, and however the Israeli government’s assertion to the onshore predates the beingness of Islam, it gets highly frustrating.”

Clinton was addressing Arab American voters astatine an authoritative Harris run lawsuit successful Michigan erstwhile helium made those comments this week.

Earlier this month, Harris besides campaigned successful Michigan with ex-Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney – the girl of erstwhile Vice President Dick Cheney, 1 of the architects of the penetration of Iraq and the alleged “war connected terror”.

“When you person surrogates similar Liz Cheney campaigning crossed the authorities of Michigan, talking astir however adjacent Dick Cheney – the warfare transgression – is supporting Vice President Harris, is that expected to beryllium a welcoming connection to this community?” Hammoud asked.

He besides noted that the Biden-Harris medication did not reverse Trump’s pro-Israel policies.

“Yes, rhetoric whitethorn beryllium different,” helium said, referring to the attack of Harris and Trump. “Sometimes argumentation outcomes aren’t dissimilar, and I deliberation that’s been the vexation for many.”

‘Hope exists’

With the contention for Michigan heating up, attraction is turning to Dearborn, the country’s archetypal Arab-majority city.

Campaign billboards tin beryllium seen crossed the city. Residents are getting piles of advertisements successful their mailboxes daily, focusing connected Arab issues and Israel’s war connected Gaza and Lebanon.

But residents bash not look to lucifer the enthusiasm of the campaign. The city’s Arab American community, particularly its ample Lebanese American population, is dealing with the anguish of watching the warfare that is destroying their homeland from afar.

The struggle is profoundly idiosyncratic to them. Their families are being displaced, location villages decimated and loved ones killed by mostly US-supplied bombs. The assemblage mislaid a respected leader, Kamel Jawad, who was killed successful an Israeli bombing successful southbound Lebanon connected October 1.

“We’re attending funerals acold much often than celebratory events,” Hammoud said.

Across the city, Lebanese and Palestinian flags and gait signs for schoolhouse committee candidates acold outnumber those for Trump and Harris.

Despite voters’ vexation and the increasing consciousness of disenchantment with the governmental system, Hammoud warned against disengaging from the governmental process, calling it a “great fear”.

The politician highlighted the value of elections, particularly astatine the section level. He cited the predetermination of officials similar himself and different representatives, including Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who person amplified the community’s demands astir the conflict.

He said portion radical are struggling with the statesmanlike question, “hope exists” connected the ground.

“There are rallies happening each crossed this world, and the centre of America has moved on Israel-Palestine, and the centre of the satellite has moved,” helium said.

“I deliberation we are 1 procreation distant from having a procreation of elected leaders who volition beryllium much reflective of the argumentation stances and the values and the principles of the broader electorate.”