As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues unabetted, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) has issued a stark warning to President Joe Biden as he seeks re-election in 2024.
The progressive lawmaker posted a video to X on Friday, which features clips of Biden pledging support to Israel intercut with clips of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian civilians who have been wounded or killed, many of whom are children.
“Mr. President, the American people are not with you on this one,” Tlaib says in the video. “We will remember in 2024.”
A message onscreen then reads: “Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people. The American people won’t forget. Biden, support a cease-fire now. Or don’t count on us in 2024.”
Tlaib, who is the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, has been vocal in criticizing Biden's "unconditional" support to Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in which 1,400 Israelis were killed. The Israeli government has retaliated by killing over 10,000 Palestinian civilians so far, over 4,000 of whom were children.
The United Nations has said that conditions Israel has imposed on Gaza amount to genocide. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are not permitted to leave, but Israel ordered the 1.1 million Palestinians living in the northern half to evacuate south as they ramped up airstrikes and began a ground invasion, against international law.
Gaza is already one of the world’s most densely populated areas — with more than 2 million people living within 140 square miles. The UN described the order as amounting to "forcible transfer" or "collective punishment," both of which are regarded as war crimes.
Israel has also refused to let in emergency fuel, making hospitals unable to care for the estimated 1,000 patients receiving kidney dialysis treatment in Gaza, as well as 130 premature babies in incubators. The United Nations was forced to drastically cut aid efforts in the region, which were already less than half of 1 percent – or one two-hundredth – of the amount of aid it ordinarily receives.
Rep Tlaib accuses Biden of supporting genocide
According to a recent poll from Data for Progress, 66 percent of Americans support a ceasefire across party lines in order to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza. Despite this, the White House has not yet even used the term, instead calling for "humanitarian pauses."
A tracking poll from Gallup found a 11 percentage point drop in Biden’s approval rating among Democrats in the past month. A separate poll from by the American Arab Institutelast week shows his approval rating has particularly plummeted among Arab Americans – from 74 percent in 2020 to 29 percent now.
Arab-Americans were a force behind Biden's victories in several swing states in 2020. A New York Times poll projects him losing nearly every battleground state to former president Donald Trump in 2024 following his response to the humanitarian plight in Gaza.- UN Sounds Alarm on 'Risk of Genocide' Against Palestinians ›
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