Palestinian Americans refuse 'insulting and performative' meeting Blinken over Israel support

A group of Palestinian Americans refused to attend a roundtable meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Thursday due to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

"We do not know what more Secretary Blinken or President Biden need to hear or see to compel them to end their complicity in this genocide," several of those who rejected the invitation said in a press statement reportedly carried by the non-profit Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU).

"They show us every day whose lives they value and whose lives they consider disposable. We will not be attending this discussion which can only amount to a box-ticking exercise. Our families, our community and all Palestinians deserve better," the signatories reportedly wrote.

The group added that they had a single, simple demand for the Biden administration, namely US support for an immediate ceasefire.

Israel’s relentless ground and air assault on Gaza has left much of the Palestinian enclave uninhabitable, with 27,000 Palestinians killed and an estimated 85 percent of the population displaced.

Despite this, both Biden and Blinken have refused to back a ceasefire.

The administration continues to provide unwavering material and diplomatic support for Israel in the face of growing internal criticism of its indiscriminate tactics, as well as an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling calling for it to take measures to stop killing civilians and prevent genocide.

"A meeting of this nature at this moment in time is insulting and performative," the group's statement added.

The US's steadfast support for Israel has drawn the ire of many Arab Americans, Muslims, labour unions, and progressive Democrats.

The Biden administration reportedly fears a loss of support from these groups could prove vital in swing states in the upcoming presidential run-off.

Palestinian Americans have even tried to sue Biden for complicity in genocide, although unsuccessfully.

Biden visited Michigan on Wednesday, in what was potentially an attempt to boost his profile in a state where the sizeable Arab American vote could be an important factor in the next election.