In an interview on “Inside with Jen Psaki” airing Sunday at 12 p.m. ET, former Georgia state representative and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams spoke about a range of issues, including the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action, the consequences Donald Trump should face for violating gag orders, and the importance of voting.
Asked whether anger from Muslim Americans toward President Joe Biden will affect turnout in next year’s election, Abrams suggests that one year out, it’s too soon to say. She says Muslim Americans recognize the horror of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7, when more than 1,500 people were killed and more than 200 people were taken hostage:
I believe that the Muslim community recognizes just how horrific October 7 was. What they are asking for is recognition that there is a humanitarian crisis unfolding. I believe that this administration is capable of having that conversation in a thoughtful way. And I do not believe that you extrapolate from the heightened emotion and fear of today what will happen in a year.
The prominent voting rights advocate did not say outright whether she agreed with calls for a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, which has killed more than 9,000 Palestinians so far, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Abrams said she agreed with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, both of whom have acknowledged the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza but who have stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
“We have to be able to allow Israel to defend itself but also hold them accountable for the humanitarian cost of that defense,” Abrams said. “And so I believe that a ceasefire is one of the tools that could be considered, but there has to be humanitarian operation that does recognize that innocent civilians are paying the price for a terrorist organization’s actions.”
Biden’s unwavering support for Israel as it wages a brutal war on Hamas, killing thousands of Palestinian civilians in the process, has frustrated Muslim Americans across the country. NBC News reported that many Muslim voters in swing states, who overwhelmingly supported Biden in 2020, have said he has completely lost their support.
Jen Psaki’s full interview with Stacey Abrams airs Sunday, November 5, at noon.
The place for in-depth analysis, commentary and informed perspectives.