Joe Biden wins Michigan primary despite massive protest vote in Gaza Strip

President Joe Biden is expected to easily win Michigan's Democratic presidential primary, despite a massive protest vote against the US' strong support for Israel in the Gaza war.

According to predictions, Mr. Biden would receive 80% of the vote, but 13% of those who said they were “uncommitted” were higher than expected.

His campaign is paying close attention to whether the results in key battleground states will ripple across the country.

Many voters are outraged by America's stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The United States is a close ally of Israel and provides billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.

Earlier this month, the United States vetoed a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while proposing its own draft calling for a temporary ceasefire.

Many people, including within Biden's own party, want the president to take a stronger stance against Israeli military operations.

On the eve of the vote in Michigan, Biden said he wanted a pause in fighting in Gaza by Monday, a statement that neither Israel nor Hamas agreed with.

Trump is also expected to easily win Tuesday's Republican primary in the state after what he called a “great day.”

So far, results from the primaries used by U.S. political parties to choose their presidential candidates indicate that the two men are expected to face off in the November general election, or in a rematch in 2020.

Michigan is considered a key battleground state and has elected a president who has won the past two elections. The country has the highest percentage of Arab Americans, but Biden's support for Israel appears to have eroded support from that demographic.

Activists with “Listen to Michigan” hailed the size of the “non-committal” vote, which exceeded 100,000, as a victory. People shed tears at the group's watch party as the tally was updated regularly.

“I'm not happy to be here tonight,” Rep. Andy Levin, who supports a “no-commitment” vote, told the audience. “This moment is inevitable because thousands of people have died. ” he said.

The war in Gaza began after a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, which left around 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken hostage.

Since then, Israel has launched a large-scale military operation in Palestinian territory with the stated aim of eliminating Hamas.

However, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said the retaliatory operation left 29,974 people dead and 70,325 injured, most of them civilians.

The heavy casualties have increased international pressure on Israel, calling for a ceasefire.

Tuesday is not the first time a significant portion of Michiganders have chosen to vote “irresponsible.” Approximately 19,000 people voted in the 2020 primary, and more than 21,601 residents voted in 2016. In 2008, that number rose to 238,000 after Barack Obama's campaign encouraged them to vote. They chose not to vote due to partisan disputes.

But activists in Michigan have been organizing for months to send a “no ceasefire, no vote” message to Biden over the war in Gaza.

The BBC interviewed Hara, 32, at Salina Secondary School in Dearborn, where she said she voted “irresponsible.”

She explained that she “didn't want to vote for Genocide Joe,” alluding to allegations made against Israeli forces during the Gaza operation, which Israel strongly denies.

Hara, who declined to give her last name, said she voted for Biden last time but is unsure whether she will vote again as the presidential election approaches. “Maybe if he calls for an immediate ceasefire, he won't do it,” she said.

Other Democrats, including Flint church office manager Kim Murdaugh, told the BBC on voting day that they continued to support Biden.

“I voted for the Democratic Party. Personally, I have no problem with what the administration has done,” she said.

She added that another concern about Biden's age (81) is not a deal breaker for her. “I'd rather have someone as president who forgets a few things than a criminal,” he said, referring to Trump, who faces federal and state criminal charges.

Margaret Wong also voted for Biden. Although she is generally satisfied with the president's performance, she said some of the president's aims were thwarted by congressional Republicans.

He said he wished the presidential front-runner had been younger, and that if Nikki Haley were to defeat Trump and become the Republican nominee, he might get some votes.

Like dozens of other states, Michigan's primary elections are open to the public. That meant Democrats, Republicans, and independents could all vote, but they had to request a specific party's ballot to vote.

The state's remaining Republican delegates, which candidates must secure in order to win the party's nomination, will be formally awarded at the party's convention this weekend.

During the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, the “non-commitment” movement received support from at least 39 state and local legislators in Michigan, including Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.

Tlaib's sister is the campaign manager for the “Listen to Michigan” campaign, which won the state by 10,000 “uncommitted” votes, the nominal margin for Biden to win the state in the last presidential election. I was aiming to do that.

Samra Lukman, an activist with the “Abandon Biden” campaign, said her goal was “to remove from office someone who lost so many lives without calling for a ceasefire.”

Another woman, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that she had also switched to the Republican party because of the Middle East conflict.

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters told reporters Monday at a meeting organized by the Biden campaign that the president understands his constituents' concerns about Gaza.

But the White House has been reluctant to withdraw aid, sending billions of dollars in military aid to Israel and three times blocking UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire.