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National

Israel told the U.S. about a contingency plan for getting fuel into southern Gaza under international monitoring if more hospitals run out, two Israeli officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Humanitarian organizations have been calling for weeks for fuel to be allowed into the Strip, pointing to hospitals that have shut down or are at risk due to dire shortages.

Following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, Israel imposed a "complete siege" on Gaza, cutting electricity and blocking the passage of fuel, food and medical supplies into the enclave.

In recent weeks, Israel has allowed a limited number of trucks carrying supplies into Gaza from Egypt, but it has so far refused to allow fuel into the Strip, citing concerns Hamas would take the fuel. 

Where it stands: The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said on Thursday that Israel would transfer fuel to hospitals, with monitoring, when needed. 

But on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after his meeting with Secretary of State Tony Blinken that Israel won't allow any fuel into Gaza. 

Nevertheless, Israel's COGAT — the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories — is preparing for a way to provide fuel to Gaza if Israel determines it is needed, the sources said.

Behind the scenes: Israeli officials together with experts from international aid organizations calculated how much fuel will be needed to operate hospitals and other critical facilities for a short and limited period of time.

According to the plan presented to the U.S., which would require approval from the Israeli war cabinet, fuel tankers from Egypt would enter the Gaza strip with a specified quantity of fuel sufficient to operate hospitals and other humanitarian facilities for a set amount of time, the Israeli officials said.

Each fuel tanker would be accompanied by a UN team that would closely monitor it and make sure the fuel is delivered to hospitals for the intended purpose.

When the fuel runs out again, the process would take place again for another short and limited period of time, Israeli officials said.

A spokesperson for COGAT declined to comment. The UN didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

State of play: Israeli officials claim there is currently enough fuel in Gaza to operate generators in hospitals and other humanitarian facilities.

On Friday, the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), citing the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza, said 16 hospitals and 51 primary health care centers are "out of service due to conflict or the lack of fuel."

The officials said Hamas is providing fuel to hospitals in northern Gaza from its fuel stockpiles, which Israel estimates at half a million liters. Israeli officials say hospitals in southern Gaza receive fuel from UNRWA.

U.S. special envoy David Satterfield told reporters in Amman on Saturday that there is an agreed mechanism to bring fuel into Gaza when it runs out but didn't provide further details.

Scoop: Israel has detailed plan for allowing fuel into Gaza if more hospitals run out

Humanitarian organizations have been calling for weeks for fuel to be allowed into the Strip.

Patients receive dialysis treatments at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza on Oct. 24, 2023. Photo: Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu via Getty Images

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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Part of President Biden's political team is in turmoil over the Israel-Hamas war, as some aides see the White House as abetting an immoral attack on Palestinians — while others believe Biden is showing "moral clarity" in protecting Israel from terrorists.

Why it matters: The strife within the Democratic National Committee (DNC) — which Biden is leaning on for his re-election campaign — reflects larger generational and political divisions among Democrats.

Those divisions are chiefly between older pro-Israel Democrats and younger progressives who are more sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians.

Their differences have been exposed by the war in Gaza that began Oct. 7, after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel killed 1,400 people. Israel's counter-attacks in Gaza have killed more than 9,000 people, the Palestinian Ministry of Health claims.

Zoom in: Some staffers at the DNC feel despondent about the scale and death toll from Israel's response, and one staffer said they are considering resigning, citing Biden's resolute support for Israel.

A high-ranking DNC official who asked not to be identified told Axios: "The president centered his 2020 campaign on a 'Battle for the Soul of the Nation,' but it seems as though the administration is currently in a battle for its own soul."

"I don't know how you can see supporting the large-scale killing of Palestinian civilians as anything but immoral," the official added.

DNC chair Jaime Harrison told Axios in a statement that Biden "continues to display unparalleled leadership and moral clarity" — and that "Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorism and the continued threat posed by Hamas."

Harrison noted that Biden — who has called for a "humanitarian pause" in the fighting in Gaza, but not a ceasefire — has been "a strong advocate for both humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza as well as protecting civilian lives."

Some DNC staffers say they've been rattled by emails and phone calls from Democratic grassroots donors angry about the administration's policy, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The DNC declined to comment on any discontent among staffers, supporters and donors.

The 2024 cycle "promises to be a long, grueling campaign, and the president is making it even harder," the high-ranking DNC official said.

On Friday, 51 DNC staffers — about 17% of the DNC's roughly 300 employees — signed a letter to DNC leaders saying that "we feel it is the DNC's moral obligation to urge President Biden to publicly call for a ceasefire," The Huffington Post first reported. 

The staffers also wrote that they were “shocked and heartbroken by the unfathomable loss of life in the brutal attack on Israeli civilians" and were grieving "for the thousands of Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives during the Israeli government's military response."

Early in the war, Harrison and DNC Executive Director Sam Cornale held a meeting with their staff and offered to speak directly with anyone.

Zoom out: The internal conflicts at the DNC also are playing out among Democrats in Congress — and their staffs. 

Former staffers for the presidential campaigns of Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have penned letters urging the senators to call for a ceasefire.

Warren called two of the organizers of the effort to hear them out, a person familiar with the matter told Axios. 

Sanders' communications director did not respond. 

Several House Democrats told Axios they expect more of their colleagues to begin speaking out about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"It's going to be very, very hard for Democrats, given what we are seeing on cable news ... about what's happening in Gaza to just turn a blind eye," said one lawmaker, a supporter of Israel.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) turned heads Thursday with a statement calling for Israel to "immediately reconsider its approach" to the war.

The fight has seeped into the administration as well. One prominent State Department official has resigned and national security officials have  hosted listening sessions for staffers, POLITICO first reported. 

Scoop: Biden's 2024 team roiled by Israel-Hamas war

The internal strife within the DNC reflects larger generational and political divisions among Democrats.

President Biden, wearing sunglasses, is shown in profile.

Joe Biden

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Many Arab American voters feel betrayed by President Biden's unequivocal support for Israel, and community leaders in Metro Detroit say there's nothing he can do to win them back.

Why it matters: Michigan is a central piece of the Midwestern "Blue Wall" that flipped in Biden's favor in 2020. The state's large Arab American population could be crucial to the outcome in what will be a pivotal swing state again in 2024.

The big picture: The president's decision to firmly stand by Israel during the Israel-Hamas war appears to be hurting him with progressives in Michigan and across the country.

Biden's approval rating among Democrats has plummeted to a new low of 75% — down 11% over just the last month, according to a Gallup poll conducted between Oct. 2 and Oct. 23.

The first national poll of Arab Americans since the war began showed a massive drop: just 17% of Arab American voters said they would vote for Biden in 2024, down from 59% in 2020. That poll, from the Arab American Institute, had 500 respondents and a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points.

By the numbers: More than 300,ooo Arab Americans live in Metro Detroit —  about 13% of all Arabic speakers in the country. 

Around 25 minutes drive west of downtown Detroit, Dearborn is the state's fastest growing city and the heart of the region's Arab American community — the largest in the world outside of the Middle East.

"It's very possible that Arab Americans could be the reason why Biden loses Michigan and possibly the presidency," Adam Abusalah, a Palestinian American and Dearborn native who's part of the grassroots New Generation for Palestine, which organized a massive rally last week in downtown Detroit rally, tells Axios.

"Trump won Michigan by around 10,000 votes in 2016 and in 2020, 145,000 Muslim voters voted in Michigan. Seventy percent of them voted for Biden, so if half of them vote another way, Biden could be in trouble."

Zoom in: Abusalah, a 22-year-old former congressional staffer with U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit) who worked on Biden's campaign in 2020, says because of the president's position on Israel, he will leave the top of the ticket blank in 2024.

"My community helped get Biden elected in Michigan. We thought he would lead with compassion and humanity and clearly I was wrong," Abusalah said.

Catch up quick: Democrats, including Biden and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have been calling for more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. 

More than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed there during the Israeli air and ground operation. Israel launched that operation after at least 1,400 people were killed in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas.

Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have called for a humanitarian "pause." Israel has rejected those calls thus far.

Yes, but: The calls for more humanitarian support haven't been enough to quell anger from supporters of the Palestinian cause, who want the White House to demand a ceasefire.

Several marchers at the downtown Detroit rally told Axios they could not vote for Biden after he cast doubt on the number of civilians killed.

Biden last month said he had "no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using" for the death toll in the Gaza strip. Those numbers come from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Ministry.

Zoom in: Thousands of students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Fordson High School in Dearborn have staged walk-out demonstrations in recent weeks in support of Palestinian civilians.

Elected Democrats are joining demonstrations too: Abraham Aiyash, the third-ranking Democrat in the state House of Representatives and Gabriela Santiago-Romero, a Detroit City Council member, both called for a ceasefire during last weekend's downtown rally, arguing Israel's actions in Gaza amount to "genocide." 

A number of Detroit area lawmakers, such as Alabas Farhatt (D-Dearborn), Erin Byrnes (D-Detroit) and Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) have spoken at anti-Israel events over the past month.

What they're saying: "This happened so quickly and the attitudes shifted so fast," Jim Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, told reporters during a Zoom call last week.

"It would be difficult in this state of mind to mobilize support," Zogby said. "Something will need to be done to win them back and it may be a more difficult call than just doing a White House meeting or something."

Between the lines: The images from Gaza have particularly affected younger Arab Americans who are seeing the carnage on social media in real time, Lexis Zeidan, a Palestinian AmericanF activist told Axios after speaking on stage at the downtown rally last weekend.

"People are watching this unfold in HD on their phones and I know that's going to impact how they choose to show up in 2024," Zeidan said.

Democrats in Michigan haven't been immune to the blowback. 

The day after thousands gathered in downtown Detroit, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer canceled a scheduled visit to an Arab American cultural center in Dearborn, following calls from pro-Palestinian activists for protests.

"Unfortunately, my attendance tonight would have distracted from the clinic's fundraiser," Whitmer said in a statement, adding that she would use the time instead to coordinate with members of Congress on efforts "to bring families stuck in Gaza back home to Michigan."

The governor also sent a letter, obtained by Axios, to Blinken on Tuesday, seeking information about the hundreds of Americans stuck in Gaza and how many have Michigan ties.

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a staunch supporter of Israel, said Friday she's urging the White House to meet with Arab and Muslim Americans, saying she understands how some could "feel like you're not a first-class citizen in your own country because of the administration."

The bottom line: Arab Americans "were as traumatized by this... as they were with Donald Trump's behavior or the Iraq war," Zogby said.

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Biden's Israel stance could hurt him in Michigan, Arab American voters warn

"Arab Americans were as traumatized by this as they were by Trump's behavior or the Iraq war."

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators march downtown Detroit on Oct. 28 in protest of Israel's prolonged bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7.  Photo: Samuel Robinson/Axios

President Biden has been deeply involved in the U.S. response to the Israel-Hamas war — one of the thorniest challenges of his presidency so far — receiving briefings at least once per day and speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times a week.

The big picture: Biden is leaning on a tight circle of trusted aides and officials. Here's a look at who's in the room when major decisions are being made.

America's top diplomat and Biden's longtime confidante, Blinken arrived in Israel on Friday on his second trip to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. He has also been working the phones, talking to several leaders in the region.

Blinken has also arguably been the primary public face of the U.S. response, making numerous media appearances. 

Austin has been speaking daily with his Israeli counterpart to get updates on the military operation in Gaza and coordinating closely with Biden and the White House. 

He has also been working on bolstering the U.S. military presence in the region and encouraging Israeli officials to listen to advice from U.S. military planners.

Sullivan is nearly always in the room with Biden when major foreign policy decisions are being made, including during the Israel-Hamas war. 

For most of Biden's presidency, Sullivan had advocated for de-prioritizing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and limiting any U.S. objectives to containing it. Now, war has pushed the issue to the top of the agenda.

Biden's "war cabinet": The key people advising him on the Israel-Hamas war

The officials who are in the room when decisions are being made.

Axios

Saturday's top stories

Scoop: Israel has detailed plan for allowing fuel into Gaza if more hospitals run out

Scoop: Biden's 2024 team roiled by Israel-Hamas war

Biden's Israel stance could hurt him in Michigan, Arab American voters warn

Biden's "war cabinet": The key people advising him on the Israel-Hamas war

America splinters over the Israel-Hamas war

What to know about U.S. aid to Israel

Clocks "fall back" an hour to standard time Sunday

Congressional Democrats grow critical of Israel’s war effort

Scoop: State Dept. employee accuses Biden of "genocide" amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

Scoop: Blinken tells Israelis humanitarian pause will buy Israel time for Gaza operation