Palestine the biggest concern for Arab Americans: Survey 

People gather for a rally held by American Muslims for Palestine calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Washington Monument, Oct. 21, 2023. (Reuters)
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Updated 23 October 2024
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Palestine the biggest concern for Arab Americans: Survey 

  • Asked to place six key issues in order of priority, 26 percent said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is their chief concern
  • US economy and the cost of living are not far behind — each of these issues are the chief concerns for 19 percent of respondents

LONDON: Despite pressing domestic concerns in the US — including the economy, the cost of living and racism — the plight of the Palestinians emerges as the biggest issue for Arab Americans of all generations, according to a survey conducted for Arab News by YouGov. 

Asked to place six key issues in order of priority, 26 percent said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is their chief concern. 

However, the US economy and the cost of living are not far behind — each of these issues are the chief concerns for 19 percent of respondents.  

They are followed by racism and discrimination (12 percent), the state of the jobs market (8 percent) and crime (6 percent). 

Day-to-day pressures of life might well play a part. Seventy-two percent of respondents are in employment — 59 percent full-time and 13 percent part-time — with 10 percent retired, 5 percent homemakers, and 4 percent describing themselves as unemployed.  

Economics aside, however, the apparent disconnect in the poll between this dominant concern for Palestine, and the intention of 45 percent of respondents to vote for the clearly pro-Israel Donald Trump, is understandable, said Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington. 

“Gaza and events in the Middle East clearly weigh very heavy on the mind of the average Arab-American voter,” he told the Arab News podcast “Frankly Speaking.”  

He added: “But at the end of the day, they’re American Arabs rather than Arab Americans. They have to vote based on bread-and-butter issues — the wellbeing of their families, the issues that impact them at home — rather than issues that have an impact overseas. 

“To me, that’s not surprising when you look at the profile of that community. So many of them are third- or fourth-generation American. Some of them don’t even speak Arabic anymore — they’re American first and foremost.” 

Although Palestine ranks as the issue of most concern across the board in the survey, “it didn’t surprise me, but was interesting to see, that the issue of Palestine isn’t as prevalent among Arab-American voters as one might think,” Joseph Haboush, a former non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute and Washington correspondent for Al Arabiya English, told the Arab News-sponsored “Ray Hanania Radio Show.” 

Read our full coverage here: US Elections 2024: What Arab Americans want

One reason is the community’s diversity — Palestinians, Lebanese and Jordanians are the largest groups. 

“I was born and raised in the US, of both Lebanese blood and heritage, and as a kid you’re just immersed in Lebanese politics,” said Haboush. 

“You always hear about the civil war and the role the Palestinians played, with some people casting blame on them, others not. 

“So it’s interesting to know that (Palestine) might not be as high a priority among Arab-American voters as anybody outside the Arab-American community might think.” 

Whereas the plight of Palestinians is the chief concern for 29 percent of Arab Americans aged 50 or over, only 21 percent of those aged 35-54 rank the issue first.  

For them, this still makes Palestine concern No. 1, but overall only 2 percentage points above the economy and the cost of living — perhaps reflecting the day-to-day domestic concerns of working people bringing up families. 

Palestine appears to be of most concern to Arab Americans in lower income brackets – 37 percent of those earning under $40,000, falling to 22 percent among those paid $80,000 or more. 

It is clear that the flames of indignation and empathy toward the Palestinian people still burn bright among Arab Americans. 

Overall, 36 percent said they, or someone from their family, have taken part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, although there are some clear differences among age groups. 

Only 6 percent of those aged 55 or older have taken to the streets, while the largest percentage of protesters is found among those aged 35-54 (53 percent) and 18-34 (44 percent). Fewer women (31percent) than men (41 percent) have taken part in protests. 

Palestine and domestic economic concerns aside, 43 percent of Arab Americans said they have experienced racism, harassment or hate attacks related to their ethnicity, religion or origins. 

In another finding that makes overall support for Trump seem puzzling, when asked which of the main presidential candidates they considered to be more sensitive to the national needs and problems of Arab Americans, 39 percent said Kamala Harris and 31 percent said Trump.  

Eight percent opted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, 12 percent did not know, and 10 percent said none of the above. 


Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, ‘without preconditions’

Updated 54 min 52 sec ago
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Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, ‘without preconditions’

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed holding direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, hours after Kyiv and European leaders called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to start Monday.

“We are determined to have serious negotiations ... to eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” Putin told reporters in a middle of the night statement at the Kremlin.

“We do not exclude that during these talks we will be able to agree on some new ceasefire,” he added, without directly addressing the call made by the leaders of Ukraine, Britain, France, Germany and Poland for a ceasefire to start Monday.

(Developing story)


Bangladesh’s interim government bans the former ruling party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Updated 11 May 2025
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Bangladesh’s interim government bans the former ruling party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

  • The ban would stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders over the deaths of hundreds of students

DHAKA, Bangladesh: The interim government in Bangladesh on Saturday banned all activities of the former ruling Awami League party headed by former influential Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted last year in a mass uprising.
Asif Nazrul, the country’s law affairs adviser, said late Saturday the interim Cabinet headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus decided to ban the party’s activities online and elsewhere under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban would stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders over the deaths of hundreds of students and other protesters during an anti-government uprising in July and August last year.
“This decision is aimed at ensuring national security and sovereignty, protection of activists of the July movement, and plaintiffs and witnesses involved in the tribunal proceedings,” Nazrul told reporters after a special Cabinet meeting.
Nazrul said the meeting Saturday also expanded scope for trying any political parties involving charges of killing during the anti-Hasina protest being handled by the International Crimes Tribunal.
He said a government notification regarding the ban would be published soon with details.
Hasina and many of her senior party colleagues have been accused of murder in many cases after her ouster last year. Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug. 5 as her official residence was stormed by protesters soon after she left the country.
The United Nations human rights office in a report said in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during three weeks of anti-Hasina protest.
Saturday night’s dramatic decision came after thousands of protesters, including supporters of a newly formed political party by students, took to the streets in Dhaka and issued an ultimatum to ban the Awami League party by Saturday night. The members of the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami party also prominently took part in the protest.
There was no immediate reaction from Hasina or her party, but the chief of the National Citizen Party, Nahid Islam, who is also a student leader, applauded the Yunus-led government for its decision.
The student-led uprising ended Hasina’s 15 years of rule, and three days after her fall Yunus took the helm as interim leader.


France in talks with Britain, Ukraine about potential troops, Macron tells paper

Updated 10 May 2025
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France in talks with Britain, Ukraine about potential troops, Macron tells paper

  • “We’re working on the presence and strategic footprint of the partner countries,” Macron said
  • “The key is to have troops in Ukraine“

PARIS: France is consulting with partners on how to potentially support Ukraine in its struggle with Russia with troops, French President Emmanuel Macron told newspaper Le Parisien on Saturday, without elaborating on what such a presence could include.

“We are working on the presence and strategic footprint of the partner countries. There have been several exchanges between our British, French and Ukrainian chiefs of staff, who have coordinated the work with all their partners, and all this is becoming clearer and making progress,” Macron was cited in the article.

“The key is to have troops in Ukraine,” he added.

Major European powers including France threw their weight behind an unconditional 30-day Ukraine ceasefire, with the backing of US President Donald Trump.

Macron joined the leaders of Britain, Germany and Poland on a visit to Kyiv on Saturday during which they held a phone call with Trump.


Seven dead after heavy rain hits Mogadishu

Updated 10 May 2025
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Seven dead after heavy rain hits Mogadishu

  • Floodwaters also damaged key infrastructure, halting public transport

MOGADISHU: At least seven people have died, and major roads were cut off after heavy rains led to flooding in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, on Friday night due to an overwhelmed drainage system and a growing urban population.

The regional administration spokesperson, Abdinasir Hirsi Idle, said on Saturday that rescue efforts were ongoing.

“The death toll could rise because the rains were heavy and lasted for several hours, causing nine houses to collapse across different neighborhoods, and at least six major roads to suffer severe damage,” he said.

Somalia has in the past suffered extreme climate shocks, including prolonged dry seasons that have caused drought and heavy rains that have resulted in floods.

Friday’s rains went on for about eight hours, leaving waist-high waters in neighborhoods where some residents were trapped and others were forced to move to higher ground.

A resident, Mohammed Hassan, said that some older people were still trapped.

“We spent the night on rooftops, shivering from the cold, and I have not even had breakfast,” he said.

Floodwaters also damaged key infrastructure, halting public transport and temporarily disrupting operations at the main airport, Aden Abdulle International Airport. 

Officials later confirmed flights had resumed operations.

The Somali Disaster Management Agency has not yet released an official death toll, but said an assessment was underway to determine the extent of the damage.

In a statement on Saturday, the country’s Energy and Water Ministry said: “A substantial amount of rainfall, exceeding 115 mm, was recorded in over 8 consecutive hours” and warned of flash floods in other regions outside the capital.


Marcos camp takes on Duterte clan in key poll

Updated 10 May 2025
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Marcos camp takes on Duterte clan in key poll

  • Most voters back senate candidates who assert Philippine sovereignty: Survey

MANILA: In political rallies, Senate hearings, and voter surveys ahead of Monday’s midterm elections in the Philippines, China has been an overwhelming — and unusual — presence.

The shadow of its giant maritime neighbor has loomed over the Philippines for years. 

However, as the country’s two most prominent political clans flex their muscles in the usually low-key process to pick senators and local government leaders, relations with China have emerged as a political lightning rod.

The outcome could shape the country’s strategic positioning over the remaining half of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s six-year term, which began in 2022.

“Will we allow ourselves to return to the time when our leaders wanted us to become a province of China?” Marcos asked voters at a rally in February, in a dig at predecessor Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Sara, who is currently vice president and a key Marcos rival.

During his 2016 to 2022 term, Duterte shifted foreign policy on China, adopting conciliatory rhetoric and downplaying disputes in the South China Sea. 

The strategy drew concern from Washington and raised questions about the Philippines’ longstanding security alliance with the US.

In contrast, Marcos has moved to rekindle and deepen ties with Washington.

“These are hot-button issues that many Filipino voters can relate to, particularly on the issue of China. There was a time in the past when foreign policy did not matter that much during elections,” said Ederson Tapia, professor of public administration at the University of Makati.

“But now it does.”

An April survey found that most voters in the country of 110 million prefer candidates who assert Philippine sovereignty in the South China Sea, where the Marcos-led administration has taken a more assertive stance in its maritime confrontations with Beijing, which continue unabated.

It is a sentiment that Marcos has tapped into since he started his campaign for the slate of Senate candidates that he is backing.

In the February rally, Marcos pointed to his candidates, saying: “None of them were applauding China when our coast guard was being bombed with water, when our fishermen were being blocked, when their catch was stolen, and our islands seized to become part of another country.”

The Duterte camp enjoyed a surge of sympathy when he was arrested by the International Criminal Court in March and taken to The Hague, but Marcos’ candidates remain ahead in polls and appear poised to dominate the Senate race.

A Duterte spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Through a months-long campaign, Marcos has kept up the pressure and focused on China as a key election issue, while his allies have aimed at Sara Duterte for her silence on China’s actions.

Sara, a likely future presidential candidate, was once a Marcos ally but now faces an impeachment trial on charges including a threat to assassinate the president if she were harmed.

In the Philippines, the 24-member Senate acts as the jury in any impeachment trial, making the midterms even more consequential in determining Sara Duterte’s political future.

Sara, who denied wrongdoing, responded to her impeachment with defiance, asking the Supreme Court to nullify the complaint against her.

A strong mandate for Marcos would not only define his ability to govern decisively in the remaining three years of his term but would also shape the 2028 presidential race, said Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, a political analyst and founder of Stratbase Group, a research and advisory firm.

Marcos is limited to a single term under the Constitution and is expected to anoint a successor. Sara Duterte would also be eligible to run in 2028 if she survives impeachment.

“Those who will run need to be tested on consistency about these issues,” Manhit said, referring to protecting the Philippines’ maritime rights and sovereignty.

“And one of them is the current vice president. She has not spoken against this coercion by China.”

A spokesperson for Sara Duterte did not respond to a request for comment.

The midterm election comes amid a proliferation of disinformation in the Philippines. Inauthentic accounts have driven up to 45 percent of discussions about the elections on social media, Reuters reported last month.

The use of fake accounts and paid influencers for political operations is widespread in the Philippines, but a top security official and a senator alleged last month that Chinese state-sponsored groups might be attempting to influence Filipinos.

China’s foreign ministry and its embassy in Manila have rejected the accusations.