The NAACP, in a new letter, called on President Joe Biden to stop sending weapons to Israel and use US influence to end the war in Gaza.
The civil rights organization’s letter comes days after Biden said on May 31 that Israel had proposed a new ceasefire plan and urged Hamas to accept it, saying: “It is time for this war to end and for the next day to begin. He said in the surprise announcement that he was outlining an Israeli truce proposal that had been passed on to Hamas.
“The Biden Administration’s Latest Statement Is Helpful, But Doesn’t Go Far Enough,” NAACP Officials said in a statement. “It is one thing to call for a ceasefire, it is another to take the necessary steps to work towards liberation for all. It is imperative that the violence that has claimed so many civilian lives ceases immediately.”
Biden-Harris campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika said in an emailed statement: “The president shares the goal of ending violence and a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, and is working tirelessly toward that end.” ”.
“The stakes in these elections could not be higher, and with our communities, our democracy and our freedoms at stake, our campaign is working to win – not ask for – every vote,” she said.
More than 36,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, since Israel launched its offensive following the Hamas attacks on October 7. Nearly 2 million Palestinians have been displaced, Associated Press reported. About 1,200 people have been killed in Israel as of April, according to the AP. Israeli officials said around 120 people remain held captive in Gaza, and that at least a third are dead.
Biden’s dwindling support among black voters has increasingly emerged as a factor in the national debate over his support for Israel. Black communities played a key role in securing Biden’s victory in 2020, with 92% of blacks supporting Biden about Donald Trump then. Now, almost four years later, 77% of black voters say they would vote for Biden. Although the Israel-Gaza war is becoming increasingly important to black voters, economic concerns are the group’s main issue in determining how they will vote in the November elections. according to NPR.
Earlier this year, more than 1,000 Black pastors from churches across the country, spurred on by their young parishioners, signed an open letter calling on Biden to push for a ceasefire, The New York Times reported. They also called on Hamas to release all hostages and for Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank. Like the NAACP, pastors warned that Biden’s support for Israel could hinder him in the elections.
Biden has been under increasing pressure in recent months from politicians, college students, activists and others to secure a ceasefire and rescind financial support for the Israeli war effort.
In a poll from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace In April, 68% of black Americans said they wanted the US to support a permanent ceasefire. The number of black Americans who said they felt connected to the Palestinian situation increased from 32% in October to 45% in April. A previous survey found that while Americans overall tend to support Israel, the majority of black Americans surveyed reject the idea of showing “unwavering support” for Israel and sympathize more with Gaza than other racial groups surveyed.
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