Following the escalation of Israel’s war on Gaza over the weekend, a leading member of the Reject AIPAC coalition said they’re pleased with President Joe Biden’s response. After Iran launched retaliatory missiles on Israel over Israel’s April 1 attacks on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, Biden called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid retaliation against Iran. Justice Democrats spokesperson Usamah Andrabi emphasized the urgent need for deescalation in the Middle East and an end to U.S. financial support for the Israeli military.

“We have been warning our own government and the Democratic Party that our continued political and financial support for the Israeli military and the Netanyahu government threatens to get us involved in another endless war in the Middle East,” Andrabi said. “[What] we should be emphasizing to countries like Israel is exactly what President Biden did, which is to deescalate, and we should be pushing for a ceasefire like progressives have been pushing for months.”

Andrabi says the U.S. should not continue funding a government that is waging a “war of famine and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.”

Pro-Palestinian supporters and activists have been critical of Biden’s handling of the Middle East and Israel’s siege and genocide in Gaza since Oct 7. Activists have urged Biden to call for a ceasefire or risk losing their vote in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Last month in Democratic stronghold Cook County, Illinois, more than 67,000 voters rejected Biden in the primary election following grassroots organizing from the “Leave it Blank or Write in ‘Gaza’” campaign. A remarkable 20% of voters, or 110,000, wrote in a phrase, left it blank, or voted for another Democratic candidate. 

“This notable lack of support in Chicago and suburban Cook County for an incumbent Democratic presidential nominee in a traditional stronghold, with the DNC fast approaching, underscores the urgency for the Democratic Party to reconnect with its base,” said Dilara Sayeed of the Muslim Civic Coalition-Activate. “We stood with Biden in 2020, and feel our concerns are abandoned by President Biden today.”

While Andrabi said he does not know what the political motivations are behind Biden’s decision to pursue deescalation, he deemed Biden’s latest statements as “absolutely correct,” underscoring the devastating toll of the conflict, including the loss of Palestinian lives, widespread displacement, and famine in Gaza.

“I don’t know if it’s a political action, or if he is finally listening to the overwhelming majority of Democratic voters who have been speaking out for deescalation and a ceasefire for months,” Andrabi said. “And I don’t know if it’s too late. Nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed. Gaza has been destroyed. More than 1 million Palestinians are displaced, and famine is widespread.”

Andrabi pointed out that while this shift in rhetoric is good and helpful, the Biden administration needs to do more.  

“We cannot continue funding the Israeli military that is carrying these actions out and continuing to fund and pass legislation that does send billions more in supporting Israeli military actions and what they choose to do,” he said.

The Reject AIPAC coalition’s campaign reflects a broader struggle for democracy and human rights, aiming to reduce the influence of corporate interests in U.S. politics and prioritize the voices of voters. As calls for action intensify, the coalition remains steadfast in its commitment to ending the cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine and promoting a just and peaceful resolution.

This August, the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago will stand with Palestine to demand the end of all aid to Israel. The Coalition will march to lift up seven demands, the first being to stand with Palestine and end U.S. aid to Israel. The coalition’s other demands include redistributing military aid to create jobs and support school, health care, housing, and the environment; supporting immigrant rights and legalization for all undocumented workers; defending LGBTQIA+ and reproductive rights; defending the right to unionize and strike; stopping police crimes and supporting community control of the police now; and ensuring justice, peace, and equality for all. The Coalition expects tens of thousands of participants to attend.

“We’re six months into a genocide, and the Democrats have continued to dig in their heels in the face of historic public pressure against them,” said Kobi Guillory, spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC and co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “We intend to keep building pressure on these genocidal Democrats in the lead-up to the DNC, and we expect that tens of thousands of people from all across the U.S. will join us as we protest and march on the DNC to demand an end to all U.S. aid to Israel.”