The editorial decision by an Arab American newspaper not to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris highlights a deep discontent with her handling of Middle East policies.
Breitbart reported that Osama Siblani, Editor-in-Chief of a prominent Arab American publication, has voiced a significant rejection of Vice President Kamala Harris concerning the upcoming election.
This decision stems from the Biden-Harris administration's approach to the ongoing Middle East conflict, which Siblani argues, has overlooked the Arab American community.
Having engaged in months of discussions with the Biden and Harris campaigns, Siblani's dissatisfaction represents a broader disillusionment among Arab Americans. Despite several conversations and interviews with the Democratic team during the campaigns, the community's expectations for advocacy and inclusion in policy discussions remain unmet.
According to Siblani, the intense impact of the conflict on families and properties overseas, with thousands killed and injured by weaponry partly supplied by the U.S., has only deepened the discontent.
This disapproval was quantified starkly in primary election results, where a majority of Arab American voters in Dearborn, Michigan, expressed their protest by voting uncommitted.
The scale of destruction and human cost in Middle Eastern conflict zones like Gaza and Lebanon has been profound. Reports indicate 43,000 deaths in Gaza and 2,200 in Lebanon, with injuries numbering into the thousands as well, creating a humanitarian crisis that Siblani argues, has been largely ignored by current U.S. foreign policy.
This neglect is particularly poignant in contrast to the 2020 elections, where approximately 70% of Michigan's Arab Americans supported Biden, spurred by promises of inclusion and political representation that have since felt hollow.
The decision by Siblani and his publication reflects a broader sentiment that neither the past nor current administration differentiates clearly in matters of foreign policy affecting Arab nations, a perspective that undermines the relational progress sought by these communities with the U.S., "Eventually, you know, as far as foreign policy, I think both of them are the same," Siblani remarked.
This sentiment has only hardened following high-level engagements that seemed promising at first. Siblani recalls instances of direct engagement with Kamala Harris and other campaign officials, where commitments were made that have not been observed.
"We have interviewed Kamala Harris. We’ve interviewed people from his campaign. And they said we will have a seat around the table," Siblani recalled.
The reality, however, as detailed by Siblani, has been far from these initial promises. "We don’t have a seat around the table. We don’t have a seat in the room. We don’t have a seat in the building, in the neighborhood, in the city, in the country," he expressed, illustrating a severe lack of influence that has led to a reevaluation of political support.
The high rate of uncommitted voters during the primary elections illustrates a preemptive discontent that culminated in Siblani's formal withdrawal of support for Harris.
As much as 57% of Arab Americans in Dearborn, Michigan, chose the uncommitted option in the primary, a clear signal of early dissent amongst voters within the community.
"We have been trying to say to them, please stop this war for 12 months," Siblani has pleaded. Despite ongoing efforts to engage and sway administration policies favorably toward ending the conflict, the responses—or lack thereof—have led to an unequivocal decision against endorsing Harris.
The disappointment extends back to the 2020 elections, where support was given under starkly different expectations.
"And when his wife, Jill Biden, showed up here, and his vice president candidate at that time, Kamala Harris, we supported them," Siblani stated. His recount of these events underscores a betrayal felt deeply by Arab Americans who once saw a glimmer of hope for representation and influence.