SUMMARY

When President Joe Biden was the Democratic candidate, he faced intense scrutiny from many Muslim and Arab Americans over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. The city of Dearborn, Michigan, is home to one of the largest populations of Muslim Americans. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud joined Amna Nawaz and discussed if the new Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can quell the concerns.

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KEY TERMS

constituent — a person represented by an elected official

annexation — possession taken of a piece of land or a country, usually by force or without permission

litigate — to cause an argument between people or groups to be discussed in a law court so that a judgment can be made

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who is Abdullah Hammoud?
2. Where did former President Donald Trump move the U.S. embassy in Israel to?
3. What did more than 100,000 voters mark on the ballot in Michigan's Democratic primary?
4. When does the U.N. say that the debris and rubble from the destruction in Gaza could be cleared?
5. Why does Hammoud say there is no opportunity to work with Trump/Vance?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

Mayor Hammoud previously said, "there seems to be no real difference between former President Trump and current President Biden" regarding the crisis in Gaza and refused to meet with the Biden campaign staff. Hammoud now believes that "the door is cracked open" and there's opportunity to have dialogue with Harris. How do you think the Harris/Walz campaign can differentiate itself from the Biden administration? Explain your response.

Media literacy: Has anyone from your local government spoken out about the Gaza crisis in the media?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do:

Learn about how the International Criminal Court is seeking war crimes charges for Israeli and Hamas leaders using this Daily News Lesson.

Then, watch this video where Tim Walz discusses his thoughts on a solution for the Gaza crisis:

This post was written by Gianfranco Beran, a senior at Amherst College, and an intern with PBS NewsHour Classroom, and edited by NewsHour's Vic Pasquantonio.

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