Each candidates fail to deal with Palestinian struggling, toll of Israel’s battle on Gaza as protesters rally close to venue.
Republican Donald Trump has referred to as US President Joe Biden “a really dangerous Palestinian” who doesn’t need to assist Israel “end the job” in opposition to Hamas in its war on Gaza.
“He doesn’t need to do it. He’s develop into like a Palestinian – however they don’t like him as a result of he’s a really dangerous Palestinian, he’s a weak one,” former president Trump mentioned within the first presidential debate with Biden on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ayah Ziyadeh, director of American Muslims for Palestine, advised Al Jazeera that the “dangerous Palestinian” remark “was very blatantly racist”.
“Utilizing Palestinian as a slur exhibits the depths of racism that exists right here,” Ziyadeh mentioned.
Whereas overseas coverage and the Center East have been referenced quite a few occasions through the debate, as pro-Palestinian protests have been held close to the venue, the struggling of Palestinians and the toll of Israel’s marketing campaign in Gaza – which has killed greater than 37,700 individuals since October – acquired little point out.
Neither Biden, who’s beneath strain from his Democratic base over his staunch assist of ally Israel, nor Trump is “not match to signify” Palestinian and Arab communities in the US, Ziyadeh mentioned.
“Not solely are Muslim and Arab Individuals deciding that they don’t need to decide to Biden or re-elect him due to his continued stance and fuelling of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. However the broader American public has additionally shifted and it’s develop into one of many greatest points that’s impacting the approaching elections,” she mentioned.
‘Lack of imaginative and prescient’ to finish battle
The talk highlighted how each Democrats and Republicans have misplaced their will to finish the battle and to assist the creation of a Palestinian state, mentioned Tamer Qarmout, a professor on the Doha Institute of Graduate Research.
“The main focus of the dialogue was not on a Palestinian state per se – it was one supporting Israel and one of the best ways to assist Israel,” he advised Al Jazeera.
“For each candidates, there’s a scarcity of actual imaginative and prescient to finish this battle. It’s a really shallow dialogue that doesn’t have ending the battle within the centre of it.”
Trump mentioned Israel needed the battle to proceed, and that it ought to. Requested whether or not he would assist the establishment of a Palestinian state to safe peace within the area, Trump baulked. “I’d need to see.”
One candidate is “blatantly racist. Desires to deport all of us. And mentioned that President Biden isn’t, basically, being genocidal sufficient and that he ought to let Israel end off its battle on Gaza. And the present president has been consciously and willingly, politically and financially, backing an evident genocide in Gaza,” Ziyadeh advised Al Jazeera.
“There isn’t a lesser than two evils right here,” she added. “The cardboard we’re being handled as voters and as Individuals is frankly unfair.”
Truce proposal
In the meantime, Biden falsely claimed that each celebration however Hamas had agreed to his ceasefire proposal and that he had secured an across-the-board settlement for his three-stage plan to finish the battle, together with from Israel.
“Everybody from the United Nations Safety Council, straight by way of the G7 to the Israelis and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu have endorsed the plan that I put ahead,” Biden mentioned.
“The one one who needs the battle to proceed is Hamas.”
He reiterated his opinion that Hamas has been “vastly weakened” by Israel, including that the group “must be eradicated”.
Biden additionally famous that he was the primary current president to not have troopers in danger abroad.
In the meantime, Trump described Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan because the “most embarrassing second within the historical past of our nation” and mentioned it inspired Russia to invade Ukraine.
