But since Hamas’ attacks and Israel’s response in Gaza, polls show the president has lost support among Arab Americans. A poll late last year showed Mr. Biden’s support among that population plummeting from 59 percent to 17 percent, a drop of more than 40 percentage points since the last election.
Mr Biden has been followed at almost every campaign rally in recent weeks by people protesting his support for Israel. At a third stop Thursday at the Simple Palate restaurant, he was greeted by a line of protesters waving Palestinian flags and using a megaphone to chant “Genocide Joe” and “How many children did you kill today?”
Osama A. Siblani, editor of the Dearborn-based Arab American News, said Thursday that Mr. Biden’s standing among Arab voters was at an all-time low and that the sanctions would not change that.
“We’ve given up trying to do anything by him,” Mr. Siblani said, adding that he had been impressed by the White House’s lack of specificity about the president’s schedule in Michigan, which he said seemed like an attempt to quell possible protests to avoid.
Before Mr. Biden’s trip on Thursday, the White House and the president’s re-election campaign had provided scant information about his trip.
“If the community is unable to protest his visit,” Mr. Siblani said, “we will give him the answer on February 27,” a reference to the date of Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Biden’s campaign disputed the notion that the campaign was secret, noting that Mr. Biden often appears at small events that are not announced in advance.
Protesters believe Mr. Biden has not done enough to prevent Israel from killing thousands of Palestinians. According to authorities in Gaza, at least 26,000 people were killed during Israel’s military operation against Hamas.
Officials said the sanctions would not be imposed on American citizens living in Israel. State Department officials identified the four Israelis named in the sanctions Thursday as David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil, Shalom Zicherman and Yinon Levi.
In a news release Thursday, officials said Mr. Chasdai “incited and led an insurgency” that left a Palestinian civilian dead and other Palestinians attacked. They said Mr Tanjil was “involved in attacks on Palestinian farmers and Israeli activists, attacking them with stones and clubs”.
Mr. Zicherman “attacked Israeli activists and their vehicles in the West Bank,” officials said, citing video evidence. They said Mr Levi had threatened “violence if they did not leave their homes, burn their fields and destroy their property” in the West Bank.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a statement that the sanctions are aimed in part at pressuring the Israeli government to prevent this kind of violence by its citizens against Palestinians living in the West Bank.
“The United States has consistently opposed actions that undermine stability in the West Bank and the prospects for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Blinken said. “Israel must do more to end violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold those responsible accountable.”
Mitch Smith contributed from Harrison Township, Michigan, and Zach Montague from Washington.
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2024-02-02 00:13:01
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