Major Arab, Muslim, Palestinian American groups say they were excluded from Harris' Middle East outreach 

washington — 

Major Muslim and Arab American organizations and pro-Palestinian activistic groups accidental they were excluded from Vice President Kamala Harris’ office's outreach to assemblage leaders connected the administration's efforts to incorporate the widening struggle successful the Middle East.

On Wednesday, the White House announced that Phil Gordon, Harris' nationalist information adviser, met virtually with "Muslim, Arab and Palestinian American assemblage leaders from crossed the United States" to sermon the administration's efforts to extremity the warfare successful Gaza.

In a statement, the White House said Gordon "expressed interest for civilians successful Lebanon" and astir Israeli "actions that undermine peace, information and stableness successful the West Bank."

The gathering appeared to beryllium an effort to repair ties with Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities who are outraged astir the administration's continued enactment for Israel successful the warfare against Hamas, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians and near a humanitarian situation successful Gaza.

However, nary of the large assemblage groups, including the Council connected American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, were invited. Neither were the Uncommitted National Movement and Abandon Harris, the 2 pro-Palestinian activistic groups that person been pushing for alteration successful the administration's policies connected Gaza.

Community leaders of salient groups successful the Washington area, including MakeSpace, the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center and the Mustafa Center, were besides not invited.

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, participated successful the eight-person engagement with Gordon. He said the gathering was "irritating," arsenic it did not see representatives of the community.

"We were told an Arab American meeting. We were told a Muslim meeting. It was nary of the above," Zogby told VOA. "There were nary Palestinian leaders. There were immoderate Palestinian Americans, but determination were nary organizations representing Palestinian Americans."

The White House, the vice president's bureau and the Harris run did not respond to VOA's queries.

Zogby said helium felt "blindsided" by the event, characterizing it arsenic a "check the box" engagement with the community. He said the medication missed an accidental by not inviting the database of radical the assemblage had recommended to beryllium included.

"There were lone 2 of america retired of the 8 who headed immoderate enactment astatine all," helium said.

Edward Gabriel, president of the American Task Force connected Lebanon, said that the VP's bureau has engaged him successful "nearly a dozen" meetings, including the 1 with Gordon this week.

"Our meetings proceed to beryllium positive," helium wrote to VOA. "We person expressed to the vice president and her squad the value of present providing our assemblage with a wide connection connected the request for ending this warfare and helping those Lebanese citizens astir affected by the conflict."

In the past 2 weeks, Israel's subject run targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants successful Lebanon has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced implicit a cardinal people. The victims included Kamel Ahmad Jawad, an American from Dearborn, Michigan.

Gabriel said Biden's stance connected the widening of Israel's run to Lebanon to day "has not been good received by the Lebanese American community, arsenic determination was nary consciousness of compassion expressed for the nonaccomplishment of beingness of guiltless citizens, particularly women and children."

Virtually tied

Harris' outreach efforts travel arsenic a caller poll showed that Arab American enactment for the Democratic statesmanlike nominee is virtually tied with that for the Republican nominee, erstwhile President Donald Trump.

The Arab American Institute connected Wednesday released a nationwide canvass of 500 Arab American registered voters that showed enactment for Trump stood astatine 42%. For Harris, it was 41%.

Among those who said they were precise apt to vote, Trump led Harris 46% to 42%.

The canvass suggested the administration's handling of the situation successful Gaza has eroded the community's enactment for Democrats, whom it traditionally backs. Arab Americans were evenly divided betwixt the 2 parties, with 38% for each.

The U.S. is location to astir 3.5 cardinal Arab Americans, according to the latest census. The U.S. Census Bureau does not number colonisation based connected spiritual beliefs, but assorted sources amusement an estimated 4 cardinal to 6 cardinal Muslim Americans.

That's a precise tiny percent of the 337 cardinal full U.S. population. However, since Arab Americans are concentrated successful a fewer states specified arsenic California and Michigan, they whitethorn play an outsized relation successful adjacent month’s election.

This whitethorn beryllium seen particularly successful Michigan, a battleground authorities with the largest percent of Arab Americans. Biden won the authorities successful 2020 with lone 154,000 votes much than Trump. In 2016, Trump won the authorities implicit Hillary Clinton by conscionable nether 11,000 votes.

More than 100,000 Michiganders voted "uncommitted" successful the Democratic superior to protestation the Biden administration's enactment of Israel's subject run — votes that could beryllium up for grabs for Trump.

Trump courting community

Trump has been courting Arab and Muslim voters and has won the enactment of Amer Ghalib, the Yemeni American politician of Hamtramck, Michigan. The metropolis is location to 30,000 people, astir fractional of them Muslim, and is the lone metropolis successful the state to person an all-Muslim metropolis council.

"Endorsing President Trump was a operation of disappointment and hope," Ghalib told VOA. "Disappointed astatine the existent administration's policies domestically and internationally, and successful anticipation that President Trump volition travel to hole things up, extremity the chaos successful the Middle East and reconstruct bid everywhere, arsenic good arsenic preventing our system from further deterioration."

Ghalib's endorsement came past period pursuing his gathering with Trump, who held a run lawsuit successful the adjacent metropolis of Flint.

On taste issues specified arsenic LGBTQ rights and the close to abortion, Ghalib and galore of his constituents are much aligned with the Republican Party. He has supported blimpish measures taken by his metropolis council, including a 2023 prohibition connected Pride flags connected metropolis spot — a determination that angered members and allies of the LGBTQ community.

"The taste issues are important to some," Zogby said. Wanting to "punish Democrats" implicit Gaza is different motivator for the community, helium added.

"I don't deliberation that there's anyone really precise earnestly considering that Donald Trump is amended than Kamala Harris connected the Middle East," helium said. "It's a question of, they mightiness beryllium some terrible. That's, I think, the much prevalent view."

VOA’s U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer and newsman Sayed Aziz Rahman contributed to this report.