Publish Date: 18 February 2024 - 03:41

New York, IRNA - The mayor of Dearborn, a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan has asked President Joe Biden to take necessary steps to end the Gaza war and cut ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in order to win the support of Arab and Muslim American voters in the 2024 election.

According to the IRNA correspondent in New York, Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn with the largest Arab-Muslim community said on Saturday local time in a conversation with the media.

"At this moment, the right thing is to call for a ceasefire, limit military aid and end support for Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition as well as allow to provide humanitarian aid through UNRWA," Hammoud, who previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives, was quoted as saying.

The Arab American mayor also advised Biden to take “concrete steps that can be show goodwill to the community if you want to win their support in the upcoming election”.

"I think anything less is unacceptable," he said.

Hammoud further said that he and many in the community know it well “Donald Trump is a threat to American democracy" but our question to Biden is “what is he going to do to prevent the collapse of American democracy and why is he aligning with Netanyahu potentially worth sacrificing that democracy?"

Arab and Muslim Americans and their allies are critical of Biden's stance on the Gaza war and want him to take measures to prevent a humanitarian crisis or face defeat in the 2024 presidential election.

Many Americans believe that Biden has not put much pressure on Israel to establish a humanitarian ceasefire, and their growing frustration could affect Biden's re-election bid.

Polls indicate the possibility of a tight competition between Biden and Trump.

Arab Americans hold 5 percent of the vote in Michigan, and about 2 percent of the vote in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Biden won the 2020 election by attracting 50.6% of Michigan's votes against Trump's 47.8%. He also won 50.01 percent of the vote in Pennsylvania and defeated Trump by only 81,000 votes.

4399