Why Biden’s Gaza Policy Is Alienating Black Voters – By Christopher Shell (Salon) / Feb 14, 2024
This article was originally featured in Foreign Policy, the magazine of global politics and ideas. For news, expert analysis, and background on the conflict, read FP’s latest coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
For decades, despite the diverse politics of the Black community, addressing Black voters’ concerns with racial and economic domestic issues was enough to solidify the Black American vote behind the Democratic Party. But this is changing. President Joe Biden’s reluctance to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war—which has resulted in the deaths of more than 28,000 people in Gaza, over 150 strikes on U.S. troops in the Middle East, and in recent weeks the deaths of three Black service members in Jordan—is leading more and more Black voters to question their support for the president.
In the beginning of January, in an attempt to boost political morale among his most loyal constituency, Biden made an appearance at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina—where nine Black Americans were gunned down by a white supremacist shooter in 2015. At this sacred site, it was fitting that Biden spoke about domestic issues such as racism and political violence. Unfortunately, Biden’s foreign-policy woes followed him to the pulpit, where he was interrupted by protesters demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Churches like Mother Emanuel AME play a key role in shaping the voting decisions of the larger Black community. More and more members of the clergy are speaking out from the pulpit against Biden’s support for Israel. A recent New York Times article revealed that over the past several months more than 1,000 Black pastors—ranging from conservative Southern Baptist churches to progressive nondenominational congregations in the Midwest and Northeast—have called for an end to Israel’s offensive operations in Gaza as well as the release of all hostages held by Hamas. As in other parts of the American public, much of the momentum behind Black faith leaders’ calls for a cease-fire is coming from younger congregants.
CONTINUE > https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/02/why-bidens-gaza-policy-is-alienating-black-voters.html
