Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz speaks at a rally in York, Pa. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz rallied behind Gaza at a campaign event Thursday with a Muslim advocacy group that backs the anti-Israel boycott movement and blamed the Jewish state for provoking Hamas’s terrorist attack last year.
"As-Salam Alaikum," Walz said at the start of a virtual event with Emgage Action. Walz, speaking just days before the one year anniversary of Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel, focused largely on the "suffering in Gaza" from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. "I know the pain of this community is deep. Our hearts are broken," said Walz. "This war must end, and it must end now."
The Minnesota governor made just one mention of Israel during his remarks, telling attendees that Vice President Kamala Harris has worked "every day" to ensure that "Israel is secure" and that "the hostages are home." He said Harris hopes "the suffering in Gaza ends now, and the Palestinian people realize the right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination."
It’s the latest example of the campaign courting anti-Israel groups to shore up support among Arab and Muslim voters, many of whom have criticized the administration’s handling of the war. Democrats are concerned that growing resentment will hurt Harris in battleground states like Michigan, which has the largest proportion of Muslim and Arab voters in the country.
Emgage Action, which endorsed Harris last month, has promoted the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, and called Israel an "apartheid" state that engages in "genocide." After Oct. 7, Emgage condemned "all attacks on civilians" but asserted that "Israel’s brutal siege" of Gaza was the "root" cause of the violence. Emgage boycotted a White House Ramadan dinner earlier this year over its "discontent" with the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
In August, Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez went to Dearborn, Mich., to meet with Arab-American community leader Osama Siblani, who has called Hamas and Hezbollah "freedom fighters." Last week, Siblani hailed slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a "hero" and "martyr."
Walz, who spoke for several minutes, touted his record as Minnesota governor providing social services to the state’s sizable Muslim population. And he decried what he said are "anti-Islam, anti-Arab sentiments being led by Donald Trump." He gave a commitment that if elected "Muslims will be engaged in this administration and serve side by side."
He was followed by Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D.), one of Israel’s fiercest critics in the Senate. Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, a former acolyte of anti-Semitic preacher Louis Farrakhan, also spoke at the Emgage event, seeking to distance Harris from the policies of Joe Biden.
"Kamala Harris is not the president of the United States. She cannot decide for President Biden," said Ellison.
Emgage Action chief executive Wa’el Alzayat urged attendees to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket, while acknowledging that many Muslim voters feel a "moral dilemma" about voting for Harris.
"But a vote for a third-party candidate is the road to victory for Donald Trump," he said.
The campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
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