“There is a huge political cost in America for not supporting Israel,” Mohamad Elmasry, a professor in the media studies programme at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera.
The pro-Israeli lobby holds too much power, which means it is unlikely that the Democrats will change their stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon, he said.
Mohamad Elmasry added that this stance was an issue for many voters in places such as the Arab-majority suburb of Dearborn in Michigan and would have cost Harris votes. However, he noted that it was unlikely to have been the primary reason she lost the election.
He said the fact that fewer votes were cast in 2024 compared with 2020 suggests that some voters may have stayed home out of protest over the war on Gaza.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
