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The Memo: Biden’s political problems on Israel rise along with Palestinian death toll on November 16, 2023 at 11:00 am

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The death toll among Palestinians in the conflict with Israel is rising, and President Biden’s political problems at home are rising along with it.

Biden has offered close to unconditional support for Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 that killed around 1,200 people.

But that position is looking increasingly out of step with many Democratic voters amid Israeli reprisals that have killed around 11,000 Palestinians, displaced more than 1 million people and left Gaza in a dire humanitarian crisis.

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Almost six weeks on from the original Hamas attack, there is growing evidence that voters take a more ambivalent view of Israel’s response than the president does — and the trend is especially true for left-of-center Americans.

A new poll released Wednesday found that 56 percent of Democrats — and 38 percent of all Americans — believe Israel’s military response has been “too much.” The Democratic figure rose a startling 21 points since a poll from the same organizations — NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist — roughly a month before.

The poll also found that 34 percent of Democrats disapprove of the way Biden is handling the conflict.

To be sure, it’s possible that some of those Democrats believe Biden should be even more supportive of Israel. But the working assumption in political circles is that the dissenters are overwhelmingly those who believe Biden has given excessively free rein to the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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“This is a terrible miscalculation,” Rashid Khalidi, a Columbia University professor and the author of several acclaimed books on Palestine, told this column. “Participating to this degree with absolute support for Israel is something most Americans don’t agree with.”

There are warning signs flashing for the Biden policy in many other polls, too.

A new Economist/YouGov survey, also released Wednesday, found a plurality of Democrats — 34 percent — believe Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack has been “too harsh,” compared to 30 percent who believe it has been “about right” and 7 percent who believe it has been “not harsh enough.”

Yet, at the same time, Democrats leaned toward Israel in their overall view of the conflict. 

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Twenty-three percent of Democrats in the poll said their sympathies were with the Israelis, against 17 percent who favored the Palestinians. A plurality, 39 percent, said their sympathies were “about equal,” while the remainder declined to express an opinion.

Findings like that point to the arduous political terrain Biden faces on the conflict. Jewish voters are an important bloc of support for Democrats, and they tend to favor Democrats over Republicans by a roughly 2-to-1 margin.

But poll after poll has found younger Democrats tend to be more sympathetic toward the Palestinians. Other important pillars of the Democratic coalition, notably progressive votes and Black voters, also tend to lean more toward the Palestinians than their centrist and white counterparts do.

In the NPR poll, for example, 48 percent of all adults younger than 45 took the view that Israel’s actions had been excessive, whereas only 31 percent of the older-than-45s took the same view. Forty-eight percent of nonwhite adults said Israel’s actions had been too much, compared to 33 percent of white people who felt that way.

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The intensity of the feeling around the conflict may end up being just as politically important as the raw numbers. The situation is literally one of life and death for thousands of people. As such, it strikes far more viscerally than many domestic political battles.

Usamah Andrabi, communications director for the Justice Democrats, a progressive group, said despite Israel reportedly killing thousands of children and striking numerous medical facilities, “the president has yet to call for a cease-fire. He refuses to even condemn those actions. And he still demands the Congress send $14 billion in military aid, in weapons, to Israel. I don’t know how anyone can accept that position.”

The Biden administration has tempered its rhetoric to some degree recently, stressing the importance of minimizing civilian casualties and protecting hospitals. The president’s aides also highlight their efforts to get some level of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

The politics of the issue are anything but simple, as well. Washington has seen huge marches in favor of both the Palestinians and Israel within the past two weeks. The overall American population is more sympathetic to Israel than is the Democratic base, and Republicans are eager to seize on any suggestion that Biden is soft on American foes, such as Hamas’s sponsor, Iran. 

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Some Democrats argue the president has taken just the right course.

“I think most presidents would have done the same thing,” said Democratic strategist Jerry Austin, who also noted many Republicans as well as Democrats are united in support for Israel, especially given the horror of the Hamas attacks.

“I don’t see it as a political decision. I see it as a moral decision,” Austin said. “This kind of behavior [from Hamas] has to stop. It isn’t as if they are soldiers fighting soldiers. They went in there and killed women and children.”

But voices more sympathetic to the Palestinians argue that Biden will pay a political price, given the dismay about his position from Arab-Americans, progressives, younger voters and Black voters.

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Khalidi said he neither expected people to forget what had occurred nor did he anticipate a change of policy from the administration.

“There will be a lot of votes lost,” he predicted.

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.

​ The death toll among Palestinians in the conflict with Israel is rising, and President Biden’s political problems at home are rising along with it. Biden has offered close to unconditional support for Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 that killed around 1,200 people. But that position is looking increasingly out… 

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Ev startup Fisker cut its 2023 production target for the fourth time on December 1, 2023 at 10:25 pm

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Fisker, the California-based EV startup, cut its annual production guidance in an effort to free up $300 million in working capital, the company said in a business update Friday. Fisker said it expects to produce about 10,000 vehicles this year. The decision comes less than a month since Fisker cut its production target to between […]

© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

​ Fisker, the California-based EV startup, cut its annual production guidance in an effort to free up $300 million in working capital, the company said in a business update Friday. Fisker said it expects to produce about 10,000 vehicles this year. The decision comes less than a month since Fisker cut its production target to between
© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. 

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UAW backs Israel-Hamas cease-fire, largest union to do so on December 1, 2023 at 8:32 pm

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The United Auto Workers endorsed a long-term cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas on Friday, becoming the largest union in the U.S. to do so. 

“UAW International is calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Israel and Palestine so that we can get to the work of building a lasting peace, building social justice, and building a community of global community of solidarity,” UAW regional director Brandon Mancilla said Friday in front of the White House, alongside protesters on a hunger strike.

The American Postal Workers Union, UE union and a multitude of smaller labor organizations have already backed a cease-fire, an effort which has divided Democrats and put pressure on the Biden administration.

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A week-long pause in fighting ended early Friday after about 100 Hamas-held hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners were released in a tenuously kept deal.

A growing chorus of Democrats have called on the Biden administration to push for a long-term cease-fire in the conflict, citing increasing civilian casualties in Gaza. However, both the administration and the Israeli government have so far refused.

The conflict, now nearly two months old, has resulted in the deaths of over 13,300 Palestinians, including over 4,600 children, as well as about 1,200 Israelis.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans also support a cease-fire in the conflict, according to new polling released Thursday.

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Mancilla argued the UAW has an obligation to its members to advocate for all oppressed people, not just autoworkers.

“[A cease-fire] is as important as anything else that we’re doing in this country in order to ensure that workers and oppressed people and more people across the world are on the path to winning to justice,” Mancilla said.

“For so long we’ve been silent and we’ve been ignorant in the labor movement to this issue, and that time is over,” he added.

The action comes after the UAW secured a massive labor deal with the “Big Three” automakers — Jeep-maker Stellantis, Ford and General Motors — following weeks of strikes, agreeing to significant wage and benefit increases for members. 

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The union announced a new initiative this week to unionize an additional 150,000 members at the country’s remaining nonunion auto manufacturers, including Toyota, Mercedes, Tesla and others.

Detroit, UAW’s strongest base, is home to one of the largest populations of Muslim and Arab Americans in the country, headlined by Dearborn, Mich., home to Ford.

UAW President Shawn Fain celebrated the move Friday in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying he is “proud” of the decision.

“From opposing fascism in WWII to mobilizing against apartheid South Africa and the CONTRA war, the UAW has consistently stood for justice across the globe,” he said.

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​ The United Auto Workers endorsed a long-term cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas on Friday, becoming the largest union in the U.S. to do so.  “UAW International is calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Israel and Palestine so that we can get to the work of building a lasting peace, building social justice, and building a… 

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House Democrat says house vandalized over Israel-Hamas war on December 1, 2023 at 8:16 pm

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Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said his home in Bellevue, Wash., was vandalized Thursday night over the current conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

“Last night, my house was vandalized by people advocating for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza,” Smith said in a statement in a Friday press release. “This attack is sadly reflective of the coarsening of the political discourse in our country, and is completely unwarranted, unnecessary, and harmful to our political system.”

“Throughout the course of my career, my staff and I have continually met with groups from all parts of the political spectrum, including Pro-Palestinian and left-wing activists, and I remain open to meeting with these groups and discussing our differences and where we can come together in a productive and peaceful way,” Smith continued in the release.

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Smith’s claim of vandalism comes shortly after a synagogue in his Congressional district was vandalized last month, which he condemned alongside fellow Washington House member Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.)

“The vandalism at Herzl-Ner Tamid is horrifying and heartbreaking,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I condemn this atrocity and stand with the Jewish community in the Ninth District and across the country. Our Jewish friends deserve to feel safe – especially at their places of worship.”

The synagogue, Herzl-Ner Tamid, located on Mercer Island, Wash., confirmed it was vandalized with graffiti in a previous Facebook post.

“We are taking this incident very seriously,” the post read. “Despite this adversity, our commitment to leading fulfilled, connected Jewish lives remains steadfast.”

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“Thank you for standing strong with us,” the post continued. “We would like to take a moment to thank everyone for the outpouring of support.”

​ Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said his home in Bellevue, Wash., was vandalized Thursday night over the current conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. “Last night, my house was vandalized by people advocating for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza,” Smith said in a statement in a Friday press release. “This attack is sadly… 

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