Kamala Harris to Major Muslim Groups: Drop Dead

The White House said Wednesday that Phil Gordon, Harris’ national security adviser, met virtually with “Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian American community leaders from across the United States,” to discuss administration efforts to end the war in Gaza.

In a statement, the White House said Gordon “expressed concern for civilians in Lebanon,” and Israeli “actions that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.”

The meeting appears to have been an attempt to repair ties with Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities outraged over the administration’s continued support for Israel in the war on the Gaza Strip, which has taken the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians and left an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

However, none of the major community groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, were invited. Neither were the Uncommitted National Movement and Abandon Harris, the two pro-Palestinian activist groups that have been pushing for change in the administration’s policies on Gaza.

Community leaders of prominent groups in the Washington area, including MakeSpace, the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, the Mustafa Center and the Diyanet Center of America were also not invited.

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, participated in the eight-person engagement with Gordon. He said the meeting was “irritating,” as it did not include representatives of the community.

“We were told an Arab American meeting. We were told a Muslim meeting. It was none of the above,” Zogby told VOA. “There were no Palestinian leaders. There were some Palestinian Americans, but there were no organizations representing Palestinian Americans.”

Zogby said he felt “blindsided” by the event, characterizing it as a “check the box” engagement with the community. He said the administration missed an opportunity by not inviting the list of people the community had recommended to be included.

“There were only two of us out of the eight who headed any organization at all,” he said.

Edward Gabriel, president of the American Task Force on Lebanon, said the vice president’s office has engaged him in “nearly a dozen” meetings, including the one with Gordon this week.

“Our meetings continue to be positive,” he said. “We have expressed to the Vice President and her team the importance of now providing our community with a clear message on the need for ending this war and helping those Lebanese citizens most affected by the conflict.”

In the past two weeks, Israel’s military attacks on Lebanon has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced more than a million people. The victims include Kamel Ahmad Jawad, an American from Dearborn, Michigan.

Gabriel said that Biden’s stance on the widening of Israel’s campaign to Lebanon to date “has not been well received by the Lebanese American community, as there was no sense of compassion expressed for the loss of life of innocent citizens, especially women and children.”

The White House and the vice president’s office did not respond to VOA’s queries. However, a campaign spokesperson said Harris is “committed to work to earn every vote, unite our country, and to be a president for all Americans.”

“Throughout her career, Vice President Harris has been steadfast in her support of our country’s diverse Muslim community, ensuring first and foremost that they can live free from the hateful policies of the Trump administration,” the spokesperson told VOA. “She will continue working to bring the war in Gaza to an end in a way where Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”