EGN NEWS DESK
When the White House invited Muslim neighborhood leaders for a dinner this week celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, the responses began coming in quick: Decline. Decline. Decline.
Many of the invitees, distressed over President Biden’s assist for Israel’s warfare in Gaza, mentioned they’d not attend an iftar meal with the president on Tuesday night whereas so many Palestinians had been below siege.
“How can we speak to you about famine and hunger over bread and steak?” mentioned Dr. Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian American physician who was in Gaza in January.
The second epitomized simply how problematic the warfare in Gaza has grow to be for Mr. Biden, who’s more and more important of Israel however nonetheless resisting calls from inside his party to set situations on weapons gross sales to the nation.
The White House pivoted rapidly because it turned clear that the Ramadan occasion can be controversial, holding a pared-down meal only for workers members and a separate assembly for Muslim neighborhood leaders like Dr. Ahmad.
The assembly, which lasted for greater than an hour, was attended by Mr. Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris; Jake Sullivan, the nationwide safety adviser; and different senior officers. Three docs who had just lately handled sufferers in Gaza had been amongst those that spoke to the president.
More than 32,000 individuals have been killed within the warfare, in accordance with the Gazan well being authorities.
Dr. Ahmad mentioned he advised Mr. Biden that Israel’s impending floor invasion of Rafah can be a “blood bathtub and a bloodbath.” He additionally handed the president a letter from an 8-year-old woman in Gaza who misplaced her whole household within the warfare.
“We in Rafah are struggling lots as a result of we dwell in a really small tent and the tank can enter the tent and run me over,” the woman wrote within the letter, which was obtained and translated by The New York Times.
The letter continued: “We don’t need massacres and struggling. We need security, to dwell like the remainder of the world’s youngsters. Please, Biden, cease this warfare, it’s sufficient, cease this warfare please.”
After talking for about six minutes, Dr. Ahmad advised the president he was leaving.
“I mentioned, ‘Out of respect for my neighborhood, and out of respect for the various people who find themselves grieving, and who’re in a variety of ache, I’ve to stroll out of this assembly.’”
He mentioned Mr. Biden responded that he understood.
“Part of me wished to specific the frustration that the complete neighborhood has, the anger and the resentment,” Dr. Ahmad mentioned. “But additionally a part of me wished to rise up and stroll out on the choice makers, and provides them an thought of the way it feels to have anyone stroll away from them.”
It was a far cry from a celebration final yr on the White House marking the tip of Ramadan, which drew a whole bunch of neighborhood leaders, White House workers and politicians who snacked on hors d’oeuvres and took selfies with the president. One attendee shouted “We love you!” to Mr. Biden earlier than he began talking.
This yr, because the Biden administration hosted its pared-down assembly and meal, protesters knelt exterior the White House in prayer.
Tuesday’s assembly with Muslim leaders and neighborhood members was amongst a number of the administration has held in latest months, each internally with workers and with exterior teams, because it has tried to calm widespread indignation over the warfare.
Mr. Biden’s stance has angered essential constituencies in Mr. Biden’s base, together with younger individuals, Black voters and progressives.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, declined on Wednesday to touch upon the main points of Tuesday night time’s assembly, saying it was non-public. But she mentioned that the president is aware of that it was a “deeply painful second for a lot of within the Arab and Muslim communities.”
“The president additionally expressed his dedication to proceed working to safe a right away cease-fire as a part of the deal to free the hostages and considerably improve humanitarian support into Gaza,” she mentioned. “And the president made clear that he mourns the lack of each harmless life on this battle — Palestinian and Israeli.”
When requested about Dr. Ahmad strolling out, Ms. Jean-Pierre mentioned the president revered the appropriate to peacefully protest.
Salima Suswell, the chief govt officer of the Black Muslim Leadership Council, who additionally attended the assembly, mentioned she advised Mr. Biden concerning the “ethical dilemma” some members of the Black Muslim neighborhood really feel supporting him due to the warfare in Gaza.
“Black individuals determine and considerably relate to this situation that includes oppression and the dehumanization of individuals,” Ms. Suswell mentioned. “Our ancestors lived by means of 400 years of it.”
She mentioned Mr. Biden mentioned he was dedicated to the Black neighborhood.
Ms. Suswell, who stayed in the course of the assembly, mentioned attendees shared their experiences from the bottom in Gaza. One of the docs handed round images of kids there, she mentioned.
Both Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris expressed that they wished the warfare to finish as quickly as doable. When requested about calling for a right away and everlasting cease-fire, Mr. Biden mentioned that Israel would push again due to considerations concerning the hostages.
“They each mentioned, ‘We don’t need to see this warfare proceed,’” Ms. Suswell mentioned.
Hiba Yazbek contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
