Ann Arbor, Michigan — Hind Omar is a Palestinian-American mother from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She and her husband Andrew are lifelong Democrats who feel let down by the party and President Biden.
“We made moves for Biden,” Omar said. “We showed up for Biden. And that experience during his administration under his leadership was a betrayal.”
Since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants against Israel – which killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities – more than 43,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza during Israel’s assault aimed at eliminating Hamas, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which says the majority of them were women and children, but does not differentiate between civilian casualties and those of fighters.
Watching the ongoing war in Gaza prompted Hind and his entire family to consider leaving the presidential box on the ballot blank.
“Where the Democratic Party was once the sweet spot, it has now become an assault on our community,” Hind said.
This is a major vulnerability for Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been criticized for her lack of outreach to the community. His speech this week in Ann Arbor was interrupted by a group protesting against the war.
“We all want this war to end as quickly as possible and for the hostages to come out,” Harris told the crowd Monday. “And I will do everything in my power to keep it that way.”
While the Biden administration pushed in favor of a ceasefire in the war, she also maintained her constant support for Israel and, in August, she approved $20 billion in arms sales for the Israeli army.
In an interview on “60 Minutes” last month, Harris said “Israel has the right to defend itself” but added that “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. This war must end.”
Four years ago, President Biden won Michigan by just over 150,000 votes. Now the more than 200,000 largely disillusioned Arab and Muslim American voters in the battleground state could swing the election in favor of former President Donald Trump, who has said Israel should “finish what it began “.
Hind said she wasn’t comfortable that an uncommitted vote could lead to a Trump victory because “this administration will be decidedly worse for our community.”
However, she feels betrayed by the Biden administration.
“This level of betrayal, no one even saw it coming, and so that’s what people are coming to terms with right now,” Hind said.
Among those reconciling is Joshua Feinstein, a Jewish American Democrat who has family in Lebanon, where the militant group Hezbollah is based. Israel and Hezbollah have been regularly engaged rockets and missiles since last year, but the situation worsened in September when Israel began launch strikes on Beirut, before starting a limited land incursion in Lebanon.
“I talk to them daily,” an emotional Feinstein said of his family. “They’re being bombed.”
Israel’s invasion of Lebanon caused Feinstein to vote for the Green Party’s Jill Stein over Harris.
“I’m not voting to punish anyone,” Feinstein said. “I’m not protesting. I’m saying my vote was not deserved.”
Today, this group of powerful voters is sending what they call a final message.
“You’re not committed to us,” Feinstein said. “We will not commit to you.”
Shanelle Kaul
