Muslim activists expressed their discontent with President Joe Biden’s handling of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza during a closed-door meeting from which one guest walked out in protest.
The White House held a private meeting in which Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and national security leaders met with six leaders of the American Muslim community on Tuesday.
The meeting was initially planned to be an Iftar dinner to break the Ramadan fast, but it was changed to a gathering because attendees felt uncomfortable celebrating with the president.
A doctor told him NBC News When he showed the president photographs he had taken on his phone of malnourished children and women in Gaza, Biden responded that he had seen the photos before.
“This speaks volumes about the administration’s cavalier nature when it comes to decisive action toward a permanent ceasefire or, at the very least, a red line on the Rafah invasion,” said Dr. Nahreen H. Ahmed.
Muslim activists expressed their discontent with President Joe Biden’s handling of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.
A doctor said that when she showed the president photographs she had taken on her phone of malnourished children and women in Gaza, Biden responded that he had seen the photos before.
Another guest who had been invited reportedly refused to attend in protest of the administration’s support for Israel.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the Hamas attack on October 7, which killed 1,200
Shortly after the meeting began, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, a Chicago emergency room doctor who volunteered in Gaza, announced he was leaving in protest.
Ahmad told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that it was frustrating to hear the rhetoric coming from the White House, as Palestinians were suffering as a result of the war.
His goal, he said, was to get Biden to understand what it was like to listen to someone and make him walk away without hearing his response.
“He actually said he understood,” Ahmad said.
He gave the president a letter from an eight-year-old orphan girl living in Rafah, pleading with Biden to stop Israel from invading Rafah.
“I let you know out of respect for my community that I’m leaving,” he said he told the president, adding that his community was “reeling” and “hurting” as a result of the war.
Salima Suswell, founder of the Black Muslim Leadership Council, shared how she overheard Joe Biden telling other attendees about his wife’s wishes.
The exchange unfolded after another guest told the president that his wife disapproved of his attendance because of Biden’s support for Israel’s airstrikes. The New York Times reported
Biden reportedly responded that he understood and stated that the First Lady has been urging him to “Enough, enough is enough now,” according to Suswell.
The Muslim leader said she was so impressed by hearing Jill Biden’s take on the matter that she scribbled down the president’s comments.
The White House appeared to corroborate the exchange, saying Biden is as “outraged” by the civilian casualties as his wife.
Dr. Thaer Ahmad (pictured), a Chicago emergency room doctor who volunteered in Gaza, walked out of the meeting in protest.
Salima Suswell, founder of the Black Muslim Leadership Council, said during the meeting that the president revealed that his wife, Jill Biden, had begged him to end civilian deaths in Gaza.
Sources told NBC News that Biden told attendees he will not call for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas until all remaining hostages are freed.
Other guests who had been invited reportedly declined to attend, underscoring tensions between the administration and the Muslim and Arab American communities.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the Hamas attack on October 7, which killed 1,200.
Most recently, the IDF killed seven aid workers, including 33-year-old American-Canadian citizen Jacob Flickinger.
The president is scheduled to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, according to a senior administration source.