US: Largest civil rights group calls on Biden to end arms transfers to Israel
The largest civil rights organisation in the United States has issued a call for President Joe Biden's administration to suspend arms transfers to Israel over its conduct in the war on Gaza, a surprise move from the group that adds increased pressure for the US president as he tries to fortify his support among Black voters.
The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) made the announcement on Thursday with a statement from its president, Derrick Johnson.
"The NAACP calls on President Biden to draw the red line and indefinitely end the shipment of weapons and artillery to the state of Israel and other states that supply weapons to Hamas and other terrorist organisations," Johnson said.
"It is imperative that the violence that has claimed so many civilian lives immediately stop."
The call from the NAACP comes as Biden is trying to shore up his support among Black voters ahead of a contentious election against former US President Donald Trump, who is leading in several polls.
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Last month, Biden gave a commencement speech at Morehouse College, a historically Black private college in Georgia, in one of these attempts of outreach to younger Black voters. However, his presence on campus was met with outrage and protest over his support for Israel's war on Gaza.
While Biden has previously enjoyed large swathes of support from segments of the Black American electorate, current polls show that support is dwindling.
One such poll stated that only 33 percent of Black voters between the ages of 18 to 40 would vote for Biden. In 2020, nearly 90 percent of Black voters aged 18-29 voted for Biden, while 78 percent of Black voters aged 30-44 voted for the president.
The NAACP's call to halt arms transfers to Israel diverges from Biden's approach to the war on Gaza, which has been to supply Israel's military with the munitions it needs while providing diplomatic support for the country and its war efforts on the world stage.
It comes as Biden himself has described himself as a "lifetime member of the NAACP", most recently when he attended the organisation's annual dinner in Detroit in May.
But despite its apparent disagreement with the Biden administration, the NAACP on Tuesday invited the president to its national convention.
The moves made by the organisation appear to follow a similar pattern to other leading organisations that have shown support for Biden in the past.
In December, United Auto Workers (UAW), one of the largest unions in the country, issued a call for a ceasefire in Gaza. It came at a time when the Biden administration was opposed to a ceasefire and had vetoed UN resolutions calling for a cessation of the war.
However, despite the UAW diverging from the Biden administration on this issue, the union endorsed Biden a month later in the upcoming presidential election.
At the bottom of its statement, the NAACP calls for a permanent ceasefire, however the organisation also said "Israel must commit to an offensive strategy that is aligned with International and Humanitarian laws".
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