Illinois Muslim, Arab Groups Decline White House Meeting Over Gaza Policy

Muslim and Arab groups in Illinois are refusing to meet with White House officials due to the Biden administration’s lack of policy change on Gaza, highlighting the president’s inability to square his unconditional support of Israel’s military offensive with his constituents’ calls for an immediate cease-fire.

With just days until Illinois holds its primary election, White House officials had requested to meet with Palestinian, Arab and Muslim American groups and leaders in Chicago this week. In response, dozens of frustrated groups signed a letter sent to the White House on Thursday.

According to the letter, the groups found “no point in more meetings” when the White House is already aware of the position taken by Muslim and Palestinian Americans and their allies. The signatories cited prior meetings with the Biden administration, press statements, letters to elected officials, media interviews and “enormous street action within earshot of the Oval Office” to protest the U.S. government’s role in Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, which has reached five months without a permanent cease-fire.

“The White House has not only refused to call for a ceasefire, but also enabled this blatant campaign of ethnic cleansing to take place by providing financial and military means, as well as diplomatic support at the United Nations,” the letter stated. “A meeting of the minds is nowhere in sight.”

Neither the White House nor Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) immediately responded to HuffPost’s requests for comment. The governor has served as one of Biden’s strongest allies in the Midwest, and Chicago is preparing to host the Democratic National Convention in August.

The rejection echoes that of Muslim and Arab leaders in other