Harris and Trump court Jews and Arabs in the campaign’s homestretch

By Jacob Kornbluh
October 31, 2024

The presidential campaigns are making last-ditch efforts to win over Jewish and Arab voters — a tricky proposition since the constituencies, both of which have traditionally favored Democrats, tend to take disparate views of the Israel-Hamas war.

But former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, locked in a tight race, each see opportunities to convince these voters that they offer a fair-minded approach to Middle East conflicts, and the best chance for peace.

The candidates and their surrogates are telling Jews that they consider Israel’s security non-negotiable, and that they will prioritize the release of hostages still in Gaza. And they are promising Muslim and Arab voters to work toward a swift end to the war that has wrecked Gaza, and the conflict that has killed and displaced thousands in Lebanon.

More than 700,000 voters in the Democratic primaries — including 13% in Michigan’s — cast “uncommitted” ballots to protest President Joe Biden’s staunch support for Israel. Harris, who has expressed somewhat stronger sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza, hopes many of the uncommitted will find her a more palatable choice than Biden. Some of them have said they will not vote for her, but for a third-party candidate or Trump — or leave the top line of the ballot blank.

The former president, who has disparaged Muslims and tried to enact a ban on immigration from Muslim majority countries, nevertheless hopes to woo Arab Americans disappointed with the Biden administration’s inability to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza.

Here is a sampling of what the candidates and their surrogates have said to Jewish and Arab voters in recent days. Remarks have been edited for length and clarity,

Trump reached out to Lebanese Americans

Trump posted Wednesday on his Truth Social platform: I want to see the Middle East return to real peace, a lasting peace, and we will get it done properly so it doesn’t repeat itself every 5 or 10 years! I will preserve the equal partnership among all Lebanese communities. Your friends and family in Lebanon deserve to live in peace, prosperity, and harmony with their neighbors, and that can only happen with peace and stability in the Middle East. I look forward to working with the Lebanese community living in the United States of America to ensure the safety and security of the great people of Lebanon. Vote Trump for Peace!

Former President Bill Clinton addressed Arab American voters

Clinton spoke at a campaign rally Wednesday in Michigan: When I read that people in Michigan are thinking about not voting because they’re mad at the Biden administration for honoring its historic obligation to try to keep Israel from being destroyed, I think that’s a mistake because Donald Trump has shown what he wants. We cannot kill our way out of conflicts, but we do have to fight our way to safety. Kamala Harris has said that she will try to negotiate an end to the violence, an end to the killing, and a new peace process — and that ought to be enough.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance addresses Arabs and Jews

Vance said at the Oct. 10 rally in Detroit: I think most Jewish Americans and Arab Americans recognize that what’s in the best interest of Israel and Palestine is peace, and Donald J. Trump is the president of peace. Kamala Harris seems to be totally fine with starting or escalating conflict in every continent all over the world. Donald Trump believes peace through strength: Stop the killing, get Americans out of harm’s way and focus on building a peaceful vote. That is how you help Palestinians. That’s how you help Israelis. But most importantly, it’s how you help American citizens.

Rabbi Sharon Brous asks Jewish voters to talk to their friends on the right and left 

On a Zoom call Wednesday organized by the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Brous, the leader of the Los Angeles Jewish community ikar, said: I’m inviting you to look to your political left, those who in previous elections probably never would have thought of not voting for whoever the Democratic candidate was at the top of the ticket, but now, frankly, find themselves on the fence because they don’t align with the way the administration has handled the war in Gaza. I’m asking you to turn to those people to your left and remind them that the only way that there will be a just and dignified and peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians alike is if there is a strong, responsible U.S. administration.

And I’m going to invite you to look to your right to those who say they just have a gut feeling they just don’t trust that the vice president will stand with Israel when push comes to shove. I am going to ask you to remind them that Vice President Harris has continued to support Israel, has consistently called for the return of the hostages and has consistently fought for Israel’s democracy.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis promises Harris will pressure Hamas

Polis, who is Jewish, was also on Wednesday’s JDCA zoom call. He said: Kamala Harris will make sure that we continue to pressure Hamas with every leverage possible to free the hostages while they are still alive. We know that Donald Trump plays footsie with the dictators of the world. He takes the side of those who flatter him, rather than those who are oppressed. And we need to make sure we have that moral guidance of leadership that Kamala Harris will provide to make sure to apply maximum pressure — yes, on Hamas, but also on Iran and other forces of chaos and attacks in the Middle East — to make sure that we can protect the Jewish state of Israel, as well as work towards autonomy for the Palestinian people, who can finally be freed from the dictatorship of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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