As Israel invades Lebanon, US President Joe Biden under pressure for no action on Netanhayu

As Israel continues to widen its attacks in the region, with its war on Gaza approaching the one-year mark and now an invasion of Lebanon, many are growing increasingly apprehensive over US President Joe Biden's lack of control of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The concern is coming from multiple angles, with human rights advocates worried that this continued violence will only lead to more casualties, and that it could undermine efforts at diplomacy; while many are also worried it could affect the outcome of the US presidential election in which Donald Trump has the potential to implement policies more harmful to Arabs and Muslims, ranging from reinstating the Muslim ban to being open to Israel annexing the occupied West Bank.

James Zogby, a long-time pollster and president of the Arab American Institute, who has been involved in human rights advocacy and US politics since the 1970s, has been repeatedly raising concerns about Biden not holding Netanyahu accountable for his actions in Gaza.

"At best it's been a bad joke with the continued war. They have become caricatures of themselves, saying ceasefire with nothing to back it up. It's nowhere on the horizon. They've been doing it for months, and it's a joke," Zogby told The New Arab, referring to Biden and other top figures in his administration.

This week, while touring the hurricane-ravaged southeastern US, Biden emphasised that he did not support Israel striking Iranian nuclear sites. "The answer is no," he told reporters in South Carolina, without following up on policy details.

"They're going to cost Kamala Harris the election, and they're playing right into Netanyahu and Trump's hands," Zogby added. "With Netanyahu accelerating his boldness and causing an expanding war, Trump can say that he was the one who kept the peace."

Zogby is baffled at recent news stories coming out at the same time that often contradict one another. He points to one headline saying Biden laments limited leverage, while another says that the US is sending troops and planes to the Middle East, and a third saying that it was US bombs that were dropped on Beirut, all in the same day.

"That's the leverage. You say if you don't cut it out, we're going to cut it off. [Former President Ronald] Reagan did it. Reagan took the bold step of threatening to stop aid," he said, referring to a moment in the 1980s that has become something of a rallying cry to those who would like to see Biden use his leverage as US president to prevent further escalation in a conflict where he sees no benefit to the US.

At this point in the campaign, with around a month until election day, Zogby urges that Harris breaks from Biden on his support for Netanyahu.

"She can do what [Herbert] Humphrey was forced to do when it was too late," he said, referring to Lyndon Johnson's vice president who unsuccessfully ran for president in 1968 after his boss withdrew his candidacy for president amid the unpopular war in Vietnam. "Once he did that, he made the race much closer."

While Biden continues to stand by as Israel widens its war in the region, multiple polls show that most Americans do not support Israel's plausible genocide in Gaza. What is clear is that Biden's support for Netanyahu is not helping his legacy or the Democrats' bid for the White House.

As of the beginning of October, Trump is leading Harris among Arabs in Michigan, which has one of the largest gatherings of Arabs and Muslims in the US, and the former president is ramping up his campaigning in the crucial swing state.

As the world waits to see how Israel will retaliate against Iran after its recent rocket attacks, many eyes are also on Biden, who continues to assert "ironclad" support to Netanyahu with his policy, even if his words have become more sympathetic.

Conventional wisdom says that young people don't turn out to vote and that US citizens don't vote on foreign policy. However, voters proved otherwise in 1968 during the unpopular Vietnam War. This will again be put to the test next month.

Even if the Democrats win Michigan in 2024 without winning the Arab or Muslim votes, it's difficult to see how dismissing their concerns makes sense strategically, given their growing numbers and their growing civic engagement in US politics.

Richard Groper, a lecturer in political science at California State University in Los Angeles, told TNA, "They want to vote. They want to take part. But they don't have options. What are they going to do?"