Israeli offensive in Lebanon rekindles Democratic tension in Michigan

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — The rapidly escalating war in the Middle East has heightened anger at Democrats from within Michigan's Arab American community, just over a month before a presidential election in which Vice President Kamala Harris is counting on support from within a key party constituency.

Well over 1,000 people attended a rally Wednesday organized overnight by some of the top leaders in Dearborn, Michigan, a hub of the nation's largest Arab community, to protest an Israeli offensive against Hezbollah in which 600 people have been killed so far.

Hundreds of green and red Lebanese flags filled Dearborn’s night sky. Many speakers blamed Harris and President Joe Biden for U.S. arms shipments to Israel, which has launched a second major offensive while still fighting Hamas in Gaza in a conflict that's caused thousands of civilian casualties already.

“We cannot condone any president that uplifts any administration that bombs every school, decimating children to smithereens. That is the message we have and those are values we will take with us to November,” Dearborn's Democratic Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told the crowd.

As the 34-year-old leader of a community central to the Democratic divide over the Israel-Hamas war, Hammoud has been courted by top Democratic leaders for months. He met with Harris in August.

“I am not here to endorse any single candidate, for no candidate has earned my vote,” said Hammoud, who is the son of Lebanese immigrants, on Wednesday.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

While discord between the Democratic Party and a community frustrated with the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war has persisted for months, party leaders believed they had made progress when Harris stepped in as the party’s nominee.

That goodwill is gone, said Arab American News Publisher Osama Siblani, an organizer of Wednesday's event who has also met with top Democrats. He suggested Harris now finds herself in the same predicament that Biden faced before he stepped down.

“A couple of months ago you could have argued to the community that Harris is different. Now, people are not convinced that she is any different,” said Siblani.

Former President Donald Trump is actively attempting to court these dissatisfied voters. Earlier this week, he received the endorsement of Democrat Amer Ghalib, the Muslim mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan.

On Tuesday, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas met with Massad Boulos, Trump’s youngest daughter’s father-in-law, who is spearheading the former president’s outreach to Arab and Muslim communities. The meeting was confirmed by Bishara Bahbah, chairman of Arab Americans for Trump, who attended but could not disclose its details.

Many Arab American leaders, including Hammoud and Siblani, have strongly opposed a Trump presidency, citing his so-called “Muslim ban” on immigrants from several majority-Muslim countries.

Israel in recent days has expanded its air campaign against Hezbollah, with strikes on Lebanon killing many women and children. It's the deadliest bombardment since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel one day after the Oct. 7 attack in support of its Hamas allies, which killed approximately 1,200 people. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in ongoing exchanges of fire. In response to the Oct. 7 attack, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, with nearly a quarter of them being of Lebanese descent. In Wayne County, which includes the cities of Detroit and Dearborn, approximately 34% of the 139,751 individuals of Middle Eastern and North African descent identified in the 2020 Census are Lebanese.

The close ties to the overseas conflict fueled raw emotions at Wednesday’s rally. One speaker, Ali Dabaja, a resident of nearby Dearborn Heights, shared his grief over the recent deaths of family members in Lebanon.

Hossam Hossein, a Lebanese American born in Dearborn, attended the rally with his family, marking his first since the war began. While Hossein has been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause for months, the recent days of bombing in southern Lebanon compelled him to participate.

“It’s really simple. Biden just needs to pick up the phone and tell Israel that he’s not going to give any more weapons, that he needs to stop,” said Hossein, who stated that he plans to vote for neither Trump nor Harris in November.

A razor-thin presidential election could hinge on crucial demographics, including Michigan’s Arab American population, a group that helped lead a protest-vote in the state's Democratic primary in February that led to over 100,000 people voting “Uncommitted.”

The Harris team highlighted a Wednesday statement from campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez who said that the “Vice President will continue to work to prevent the conflict from widening throughout the region.”

Harris appeared to make strides in the community after becoming the party’s presumptive nominee, even sitting with the Dearborn mayor during a visit to the state in August. She gained the support of Emgage Action, a prominent Muslim American voter mobilization group, on Wednesday.

However, community leaders expressed skepticism about Emgage Action’s influence.

“Voting for Harris now feels like what voting for Trump was like back in 2016. You don’t say you’re voting for Harris because it’s shameful,” said Dearborn City Council member Mustapha Hammoud, who said he considered himself a Democrat until recently.

Hammoud, who has sat on the Dearborn City Council since 2022, was visiting his grandparents in Lebanon in 2006, the last time the conflict escalated to this level. He said the past few days have felt similar to that war, a sentiment shared throughout the crowd Wednesday.

“I was born on the 4th of July. I’ve been a very patriotic American my whole life. I was a Democrat for an extremely long time up until fairly recently, because I always believed in the values of the Democratic Party,” said Hammoud. “But I can't support this.”

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud speaks during a rally to show support for Lebanon as the conflict in the Middle East escalates, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

Andrea Awada-Zeaiter of Dearborn attends a rally in support of Lebanon in light of recent Israeli strikes that killed hundreds, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

Dr. Baqir Berry of the Islamic Institute of Knowledge speaks to hundreds who gathered for a rally in support of Lebanon in light of recent Israeli strikes that killed hundreds, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

Najah Harb of Dearborn waves a Lebanese flag above her head as hundreds gather for a rally in support of Lebanon in light of recent Israeli strikes that killed hundreds, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

Hundreds gather for a rally in support of Lebanon in light of recent Israeli strikes that killed hundreds, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

Hundreds gather for a rally in support of Lebanon in light of recent Israeli strikes that killed hundreds, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dave Giusti, a reliable reliever who spent 15 years in the majors and helped the Pittsburgh Pirates win the 1971 World Series title, has died. He was 86.

The club, citing Giusti's family, said he died on Sunday.

The right-hander went 100-93 with a 3.60 ERA in 668 career appearances for five clubs from 1962-77. He began his career as a starter in Houston but had his greatest success with the Pirates, who acquired him from St. Louis in October 1969 and then moved him to the bullpen full-time.

Giusti led the National League with 30 saves in 1971, then added 10 2/3 scoreless innings in the playoffs as the Pirates beat the Giants in the NLCS and then the Baltimore Orioles in seven games in the World Series.

Giusti made his lone All-Star appearance in 1973. He played seven seasons for Pittsburgh, registering 133 saves, which ranks third in franchise history. He split time between Oakland and the Chicago Cubs in 1977 before retiring.

A native of Seneca Falls, New York, Giusti played collegiately at Syracuse before being signed by Houston, then an expansion team known as the Colt .45s, as an amateur free agent. He appeared in 22 games as a rookie in 1962, spent all of 1963 in the minors before returning to the majors for good after being called up during the 1964 season.

Giusti is survived by his wife, two daughters and four grandchildren.

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FILE - Pitcher Dave Giusti, a member of the 1971 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, takes part in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the championship season before of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets in Pittsburgh, July 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)