DEARBORN – Amid the intensifying Israeli aggression on Lebanon, hundreds of Arab Americans gathered in front of the Dearborn Police headquarters Wednesday to protest the daily massacres committed by the Israeli military in the region. They also denounced the unlimited support provided by Washington to Israel’s war efforts. The speakers and protesters emphasized the necessity of holding the current Democratic administration accountable in the upcoming U.S. presidential election on November 5.

Hajjah Hayat Jaafari was among the protesters, holding up a picture of her daughter, Samar Al-Sayyid, who had been killed in a recent Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil. Jaafari’s image of her daughter symbolized the countless Lebanese and Palestinian American families who have lost loved ones due to the continued Israeli bombardment over the past year. Al-Sayyid, a mother of six, was killed instantly when an Israeli missile struck her home, leaving one of her children wounded. This tragedy is only one of many similar stories resulting from the repeated bombings of cities and villages across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, spoke passionately, expressing deep respect and reverence for the fallen martyrs.

“Resistance leaders and martyrs are in our hearts and minds, and we are proud of them, especially the great leader of this time, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.”

Israel had used more than 85 tons of U.S.-made bombs in an internationally prohibited assassination of leaders of other countries, including Sayyed Nasrallah and other resistance leaders just days before. As protesters chanted the well-known Islamic resistance slogan “We shall never be defeated”, Siblani reiterated that no bomb, not even an atomic one, could remove Nasrallah from the hearts and souls of his admirers.

Siblani also addressed the loss felt by many Lebanese American families in Dearborn who have been affected by the recent Israeli attacks, including those mourning the death of Kamel Jawad, Samar Al-Sayyed, Rabih Harb and Sawsan Sabra, among others. He warned that Israel’s determination to invade southern Lebanon would not go unchallenged, adding that resistance fighters would make Israeli soldiers “taste the Lebanese poison” in self-defense.

He criticized the U.S. government for supplying Israel with advanced weaponry, including F-35 fighter jets and 2,000 pound bombs, and condemned U.S. tax dollars being used to fund the killing of people overseas rather than helping people here.

Siblani also took aim at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mocking his justifications for the continued aggression, which he claimed was aimed at returning settlers to their homes in northern occupied Palestine.

“Netanyahu wants to occupy part of Lebanon to protect these settlers, but we say to him it would be better to return them to where he came from—Poland,” Siblani said.

Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, expressed the outrage felt by Arab and Muslim communities across Michigan and the broader U.S. He condemned Israel’s relentless attacks on civilians in Palestine and Lebanon, asserting that the Lebanese people are paying the price for their solidarity with the just cause of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Elahi also criticized the U.S. for imposing further sanctions on Iran while consistently defending Israel’s right to “self-defense.”

“I don’t know what sin Iran has committed to face these sanctions, when all it did was stand with the Palestinian people,” he said.

Elahi highlighted the contrast between Israeli and Iranian missile activities, noting that while Tehran had recently launched missiles without killing any civilians, Israel’s bombardments have predominantly targeted innocent civilians, especially women and children. He further emphasized that the world needs to understand that Netanyahu is the real enemy, not just to the Arab world, but to all of humanity, stating, “Netanyahu’s wars in the Middle East bring shame to both America and the Jewish faith.”

Dr. Nidal Jboor, president of Doctors Against Genocide, delivered a scathing critique of the Biden administration, labeling President Biden, Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken as “war criminals” who are complicit in the genocide and ethnic cleansing being perpetrated against women and children in Lebanon and Palestine. He expressed his deep concern for the Lebanese American families who are still trapped in Lebanon under constant threat of Israeli airstrikes, using bombs manufactured in their own homeland — America.

Jboor denounced the silence of U.S. medical and academic institutions, accusing them of being complicit by remaining silent on Israel’s policies of ethnic cleansing in the Middle East.

Imam Mohammad Mardini of the American Muslim Center in Dearborn, strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which have resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and the displacement of more than a million people in recent days. He urged the U.S. administration to act immediately and push for a permanent ceasefire in the Middle East.

“Tens of thousands of lives have been lost due to Israel’s arrogance, bombing our people with weapons paid for by our tax dollars,” Mardini said.

He called for an end to the supply of advanced weaponry to Israel and demanded an immediate halt to the targeting of schools, hospitals, mosques and civilian infrastructure. “Enough is enough,” he said.

Hassan Harb holds a picture of his older brother Rabih Harb, who was killed in an Israeli attack at his house in the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil.

Yemeni American activist Walid Fidama stressed the importance of unity among Arab Americans, both in their homelands and in the U.S.

“We are one Arab and Muslim community, regardless of our sects or religious denominations, united in support of the just rights of the Lebanese and Palestinian people.” Fidama expressed confidence that the Arab American community in Detroit would soon be celebrating victory, as they have consistently supported those fighting for their rightful cause.

Dearborn Chief Judge Sam Salamey stated that the U.S. administration is violating the American Constitution and democratic values by providing blind support to Israel, which continues to flagrantly violate international law, including U.N. Resolutions 242, 238 and 1701, as well as Resolution 2735, which calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Salamey urged Americans to work toward restoring and protecting the American Constitution and U.S. foreign policy from what he described as the “ruling clique in Washington”, which offers unconditional support to the occupying state of Israel, encouraging it to ignore international legitimacy and justice while perpetuating genocide in Lebanon, Palestine and other Arab countries.

Attorney and comedian Amer Zahr, president of  the New Generation for Palestine (NGP), thanked the Arab resistance in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen for their ongoing efforts to fight for Palestine, hailing their sacrifices for truth and justice.

“There is nothing more beautiful than martyrdom, nothing more honorable than dying for the truth.” Zahr criticized Vice President Harris for supporting the assassination of Sayyed Nasrallah as part of Israel’s right to self-defense, stating that this shows she does not deserve the support of Arab American and Muslim voters.

Local attorney Soujoud Hamade, president of the Michigan Chapter of the Arab American Bar Association, recalled her memories of visiting her homeland, Lebanon, for the first time in 2006. She explained that only one day after her arrival in Beirut, she and her family found themselves under Israeli bombardment.

“I was 14-years-old at the time, and I was absolutely terrified as Israel rained bombs on us without the United States intervening to rescue or evacuate us, as other Western countries did for their citizens,” she said.

Hamade further explained that her family was forced to wait for more than two weeks “in fear and uncertainty, waiting for the Americans to come.” Upon returning to the U.S., she was shocked by the American media’s portrayal of events, flipping the truth upside down.

“I realized from that moment that our government and media intentionally lie to justify the wars that destroy our countries and kill our people,” she said, expressing her dismay at how the media portrayed Israel as the victim, while Lebanese and Palestinians were depicted as the aggressors.

Dearborn rally against Israeli aggression on Lebanon

Attorney Abed Hammoud, founder of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), reflected on the efforts and protests of the Arab American community in Detroit during the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon. He noted the similarities in the targeting of innocent civilians in Lebanon 18 years ago and added, “But I assure you that the results will be similar as well”, in reference to his belief that Lebanese resistance will ultimately achieve victory.

Hammoud pointed out that Netanyahu’s desire to continue the war stems from his fear of prosecution and imprisonment.

“What are Biden and Harris afraid of that they continue to support Israel’s war machine with such insistence and arrogance?” he asked.

“To Biden and Harris, I say: Shame on you.”

Hammoud also remarked that Kamala Harris should be particularly wary of the repercussions of Israel’s war in the Middle East because the Arab American community in Michigan will do everything it can to send her “back to California and not to the White House”, referring to the near-unanimous decision among Arab American voters not to support her in the presidential election in November.

He asserted that trying to scare Americans with the prospect of Republican candidate Donald Trump winning will not work.

“We are not afraid of who will win,” he said, affirming that Democrats support Netanyahu “because they want to and are complicit in the genocide, making them accountable under the U.S. legal system.”

Hammoud described Netanyahu as a “cowardly criminal” and said that the Lebanese will not allow him to enter Lebanon, as they had driven his army out in 2006.

“The coming days will prove that,” he said.

Hajji Hayat Jaafari, who was among the protesters, holds up a picture of her daughter, Samar Al-Sayyid, who had been killed in a recent Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil.

Hussein Hachem, president of the What’s Up Media Network emceed the rally. Hachem condemned the acts of genocide committed by the occupying entity since its establishment in 1948. Hachem pointed out that these crimes were not limited to Palestinians but also extended to Lebanese people, starting with the massacre in the Lebanese town of Houla, followed by the military invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978 and the occupation of the Lebanese capital in 1982.

Hachem stated that during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Beirut, approximately 20,000 civilians were killed. He explained that Israel’s aggression against the Lebanese continued in 1990, 1993 and 2006, resulting in thousands of victims and tens of thousands of displaced people over the years and decades. He added that the aggression Israel has been carrying out against Lebanon since October 7 has resulted in the death of 2,000 people, most of whom are children, women and the elderly, in addition to over one million displaced people across various Lebanese regions.

All the speakers concluded with a unified call for Arab and Muslim Americans to vote in the November elections, urging them to stand firm against any candidate who supports Israeli aggression, particularly Harris. They emphasized the need to reject those who justify the ongoing slaughter against Lebanese and Palestinians and to support a leadership that aligns with the values of justice and peace.