Protests Continue In Michigan
In Dearborn, Michigan, an International Al-Quds Day rally held on Friday saw protesters shouting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” amid heightened tensions in the region.
This annual event, held on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, has been a controversial one, with multiple bans in other parts of the world. However, in Dearborn, which has the highest proportion of Muslim residents in the country, the rally has significant support. This has raised concerns about the town being a “hotbed of hate,” with such rallies being held there for over two decades.
In a video shared by MEMRI, a Michigan-based activist associated with the Hadi Institute, Tarek Bazzi, can be seen addressing the crowd in support of the event. Bazzi stated that Imam Khomeini, who declared the International Al-Quds Day, encouraged pouring all chants and shouts directed at America. This prompted the crowd to start chanting “Death to America!”
In his speech, Bazzi justified the anti-American rhetoric by citing the US government’s alleged support for “atrocities,” with a focus on Israel’s actions in Gaza. He also referenced a Malcolm X quote, portraying the US in a derogatory light and advocating for the dismantling of the American “system.”
Bazzi then shifted his focus to Israel and justified the chants of “Death to Israel” by calling it the most logical response to the question of whether Israel has the right to exist. This statement was met with cheers and chants of “Death to Israel” from the protesters. Steven Stalinsky, Executive Director of MEMRI, emphasized that such radicalized threats and rhetoric have intensified in Dearborn since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel in October.
Republican state Rep. Phil Green concurred, stating that such extremism and division were previously limited to the Middle East, but are now evident at America’s doorstep. In a previous incident in March, protesters in Dearborn urged Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in the Michigan primary, rejecting Biden’s endorsement in the process. The Biden administration is currently considering labeling goods made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank for import, according to officials familiar with the plan cited by the Financial Times.
The administration sees this move as a means of pressuring Israel to curb violence by settlers in the West Bank and to express frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government amid the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza. This policy would be a reversal of the Trump administration’s 2020 policy that required goods from the West Bank to be labeled as “Made in Israel.”
Prior to this, the Obama administration had reiterated the policy of labeling products from the West Bank as being from there, rather than Israel. If this policy is approved and implemented, the US will join the European Union in labeling such goods. However, Israel strongly opposes such labeling policies.
Israel took control of the West Bank and Jerusalem during the Six-Day War of 1967. This has been a contentious issue in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestine viewing the West Bank as being illegally occupied by Israel. They envision it as a crucial part of their future state. While the international community considers settlements in the West Bank as illegal, Israel disputes this and argues that they are legal. The US State Department has not yet responded to requests for comments on the proposed labeling policy.