As Israel-Hamas war rages on, Arab Americans grapple over who to vote for in US presidential poll

DEARBORN, Michigan: Mike Ayoub knows all too well the anguish of waiting to confirm if loved ones in war-torn Gaza are alive.

In 2018, he and his family hosted Gazan teenager Mohammed in the United States. The boy was there to receive a prosthetic leg after being shot during a protest.

Mohammed is now back in Gaza, where war broke out a year ago when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel. The conflict has killed more than 41,000 people so far, most of them civilians.

For those away from the warzone, hoping that their loved ones show up online on social media has become an agonising wait.

“As much as we want to help, our hands are tied. There’s only so much we can do and that makes it more frustrating,” said Ayoub, who lives in Dearborn – the first Arab-majority city in the US.

More than half of its 110,000 residents claim Middle Eastern or North African roots.

Arab Americans like them, already appalled by images of death, displacement and starvation, have another important date looming on their calendars – Nov 5, when US voters go to the ballot box to choose their next president.

Current US President Joe Biden won the swing state of Michigan – where Dearborn is located – by a razor-thin margin of 150,000 votes in 2020.

This means Arab American communities like Dearborn’s could be critical in deciding who wins the race for the White House. They are also keeping an eye on who could influence the future of a region in crisis.

LITTLE ENTHUSIASM FOR HARRIS OR TRUMP

However, those in the Dearborn community told CNA they are not excited by either option – Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, or former president Donald Trump, who is her Republican rival.

The Republican Party's official platform has scant details on the stance on the Israel-Hamas war, other than saying "We will stand with Israel, and seek peace in the Middle East”.

Harris has called for a ceasefire and endorsed a two-state solution, as well as has called out the "humanitarian crisis" – a similar position to Biden.

Before Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July, 100,000 Michigan residents protested his Gaza policy by voting “uncommitted” instead of for him during the Democratic primary polls.

“I don't know if it was false, imagined hope we may have created, but she has said some things like, 'We got to help, we got to stop this, we need a ceasefire now', but it’s not different to what her boss (Biden) has said and what he has been saying,” Ayoub pointed out.

Political activist Linda Sarsour also said those like her are “not very enthusiastic” about Harris replacing Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket.

“(This is) especially since there have been many moments offered to Kamala Harris to explain what her policy change is, or show she will differ on policy from Biden – and she has not taken that opportunity,” she added.

As for Trump, Sarsour said he was “horrific” on a range of issues, but that not everyone sees it that way.

She also said she was outraged that the US is still supplying Israel with weapons, as it wages war with Hamas.

Israel denies the charge of genocide, saying its war campaign is one of self-defence following the Hamas attack on its people on Oct 7 last year.

ARAB COMMUNITY NOT A MONOLITH

Another Dearborn resident, Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, said he would vote for Trump.

“At the very least, Trump’s internal politics for Americans is much better than Harris’,” said the cafe worker.

His view underscored what other residents told CNA – that the Arab community is not a monolith and will not all vote the same way.

Even as Dearborn grapples with the painful memories of a year marked by war, many will confront a choice they believe offers little hope for a resolution.

With the war showing no signs of letting up, Ayoub has to rely on piecemeal updates from the Gazan teenager he hosted, who sent him a video earlier this year showing the living conditions at the Jabalia refugee camp.

The Israel Defense Forces have been conducting airstrikes at the densely populated camp. On Sunday, at least 17 people there were killed by intense bombardment overnight.

“Right now, we’re angry, we’re desperate. Nobody’s doing anything about it,” Ayoub said soberly.

“We’re helpless. We’re screaming... (but) nobody’s helping.”