White House officials plan to meet with Arab and Islamic leaders in Chicago on Thursday

CNN
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White House officials plan to meet with Arab, Muslim and Palestinian American community leaders in Chicago on Thursday, as President Joe Biden continues to grapple with anger and concern across the country, officials said on Thursday. Multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN. War between Israel and Hamas.

Thursday’s meeting will be the latest in President Biden’s continued efforts to hear directly from concerns about the situation in Gaza, but it is unlikely to be the only topic on the agenda. Officials are also expected to discuss more broadly concerns about Islamophobia in the United States in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

According to sources, those expected to attend the meeting include: Tom Perez, director of the White House’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; Steve Benjamin, White House Director of Public Engagement; Mazen Basrawi, White House liaison to the Muslim American community. Curtis Reed, chief of staff at the National Security Council. Assistant to Dan Coe and Jamie Citron.

Vivian Khalaf, director of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, told CNN she was invited to a meeting with White House officials on Thursday but declined to attend. She made it clear in the interview that she was deeply dissatisfied with the Biden administration’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Referring to recent US efforts to airlift humanitarian aid to Gaza, Khalaf said: “In the current situation, for every life saved by dropping food, at least 10 more are killed by dropping bombs.” said. “I know that because I live it every day through the organizations I lead.”

Several other regional leaders familiar with Thursday’s meeting told CNN that there is an active effort to boycott meetings with White House officials as a way to pressure Biden to seek a permanent cease-fire. He said it was a department.

The White House declined to comment to CNN.

The Chicago area has a significant Muslim and Arab population. Residents of the city are still reeling from the recent death of six-year-old Wadea Alfayoumeh, who was allegedly stabbed 26 times by the family’s landlord in October. Authorities said he was targeted because he is Muslim.

Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other senior U.S. officials have increased their calls in recent weeks for a temporary ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, urging Israel to do more to protect civilians. There is. However, despite the mounting humanitarian toll of the Israel-Hamas war, negotiations remain stalled.

Mr. Biden faces growing dissatisfaction within his party over his handling of the conflict, including among young voters, progressive voters and voters in battleground states that will be important to his 2024 coalition.

On Thursday, White House officials and regional leaders are scheduled to discuss concerns ranging from war to rising Islamophobic incidents. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it received 3,578 complaints about anti-Muslim or anti-Palestinian incidents in the last three months of 2023, an increase of 178% from the previous year.

The scheduled meeting will take place on the same day as Biden is visiting Michigan. It is the first return to the state since the Democratic primary in the state resulted in more than 100,000 “unconfirmed” votes, largely due to anger over the president’s handling of the issue. war.

Last month, senior Biden administration officials, including U.S. Agency for International Development Secretary Samantha Power and National Security Adviser John Finer, conducted an investigation into Arab-American and He met with members of the Muslim American community. Muslim population.

Thursday’s meeting is part of the White House’s continued efforts to reach out to Arab and Muslim communities. The White House said it has held more than 100 consultations with local and state leaders about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The company is also addressing concerns internally. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients holds listening session with Muslim, Arab and Palestinian American officials and directs Biden’s Cabinet to reach out to Muslim, Arab and Palestinian American officials did.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.