“Gaza ceasefire agreed by Monday.” What Biden's announcement has to do with the Michigan primaries

Joe Biden's announcement of a supposed ceasefire agreement in Gaza next week has left everyone stunned. To the point that, for the first time since the start of the war, the positions of Israel and Hamas seem to converge towards deep skepticism. If Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he was “surprised” by the statements of the American president, who announced it with an ice cream in his hand in an interview with the television channel BNC likely cessation of operations in Gaza during Ramadan, Hamas official tells agency Reuters he would have described his statements as “premature”.

Joe #Biden announces ceasefire #Gaza while eating ice cream 👉 https://t.co/cYyJvMyFxI pic.twitter.com/Hp8wk4c5HY

– TgLa7 (@TgLa7) February 27, 2024

As negotiations for a possible truce in the conflict continue, with little optimism from the protagonists, the president steps on the accelerator for peace. Beyond the good intentions of Biden who, since the beginning of the Israeli response to the brutal attack of October 7, has adopted a double attitude of solidarity towards the Israeli people and towards Palestinian civilians, many people wonder why this announcement comes a few hours before the brutal attack of October 7. The Democratic primary in Michigan is seen as the first real test of the Biden administration's foreign policy in the Middle East.

The role of Michigan's Arab-American community

Michigan is one of the swing states with the largest number of young voters and where Arab Americans – around 300,000 voters – had fundamental weight in the election of Joe Biden in 2020, guaranteeing him a modest advantage in the ballot boxes: the president actually beat Donald Trump by 155,000 votes. Dearborn is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the United States, and Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of the U.S. Congress, has explicitly told her constituents not to support Biden. Tlaib, one of the main representatives along with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the most radical wing of the Democratic Party, joined a protest movement born in Michigan in recent months that urges Arab-Americans to express their disagreement with the regard for a president considered too close to Israel. Like, how? By checking the “uncommitted” option on the ballot, which allows voters to vote for the party but not for the candidate. In an attempt to stem vote leaks, the president met with leaders of Michigan's Muslim and Arab communities on February 8, ensuring greater support and protection for Palestinian civilians. A gesture that will probably help him secure his presidential candidacy but not save face in front of critical voters and party members. As he wrote BBCBiden's victory in these primary elections “is assured, but Democrats will look at how many 'non-aligned' voters vote to understand the extent of the electoral damage caused by the president's support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.”

Team member Rashida Tlaib says she's 'proud' to vote against Biden (“Uncommitted”) in Michigan Democratic primary pic.twitter.com/fRibYb28w6

– Republicans Against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) February 27, 2024

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