Ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., does not believe President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict will cause him to lose the support of Black voters.
While Black voters are concerned about “innocent people being killed” and “want to make sure that humanitarian aid is getting to Palestinians,” Meeks told theGrio that he also believes they want “fairness” and “understand that Israel does have the right to exist and defend itself.”
Meeks said that President Biden has been very “clear” about wanting to provide Palestinians with humanitarian aid and is pushing for a two-state solution. He believes that is resonating with voters.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, D-R.I, told theGrio that Black voters “want to see a resolution,” particularly “a ceasefire that both Israel and Hamas agree to … to make sure that we don’t find ourselves stuck in a cycle of violence and death.”
However, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., disagrees with Biden’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and believes it could cause him to lose Black voters.
“The stance of saying that Israel has to stand down is ludicrous,” Donalds told theGrio.
The Florida Republican added, “Would we stand down if somebody came into our country and killed our people? No, we would not. We would obliterate them.”
Last week, Biden engaged in a tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the 30-minute conversation, Biden said U.S. policy as it relates to its support of Israel could change if the nation does not address the “civilian harm” and “humanitarian suffering” caused by its military operation in the region. The president also called for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to get in and enable hostages out of Gaza.
Netanyahu agreed to increase efforts to transport aid to Palestinians. However, that has yet to materialize.
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