Doctor who walked out of meeting with Biden 'not satisfied' with president's stance on Israel-Hamas war
Dr. Thaer Ahmad, a board member with MedGlobal, said Tuesday that he walked out of a meeting with President Biden at the White House to protest the administration's actions on the Israel-Hamas war.
"I spoke first and I let him know that I am from a community that‘s reeling," Ahmad told CNN's Kaitlin Collins of his meeting with Biden. "We are grieving. Our hearts are broken for what‘s been taking place over the last six months. And the rhetoric that has been coming out of the Biden Administration, that has been coming out of the White House, it‘s frustrated a lot of people, especially people who are Palestinian Americans, Muslim Americans, Arab Americans. We are not satisfied with what has taken place."
Ahmad said that he shared his concerns with Biden about the well-being of Gaza residents in the face of a possible invasion of Rafah by Israel.
"I was able to share that with the president and let him know that out of respect for my community, out of respect for all of the people who have suffered and who have been killed in the process, I need to walk out of the meeting and I want to walk out with decision-makers and let them know what it feels like for somebody to say something and then walk away from them and not hear them out and not hear their response," he told CNN.
When asked how Biden responded to Ahmad leaving the meeting, the doctor said that the president acknowledged his departure.
"He actually said that he understood and I walked away," Ahmad said.
Ahmad asked what would happen to the civilians in Rafah, a city in Gaza.
"I‘m telling you that every single humanitarian aid organization, every single person invested in what‘s taking place and watching, we are trying to scream at the top of our lungs, ‘Please, we cannot allow a ground invasion to take place. We need food to be able to enter and it to be distributed safely.’"
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Ahmad said that he was the only "Palestinian American in that room" with the president.
The doctor also cited the World Central Kitchen workers who were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
"I‘m glad you mentioned the tragic loss of the World Central Kitchen workers who were a part of an approved route," Ahmad said. "I mean, these are people who are coordinating and just trying to deliver food to hungry people, and they are assassinated in the process. There‘s so much wrong in Gaza."
A White House official spoke about the meeting with Muslim community leaders in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
"President Biden and Vice President Harris know this a deeply painful moment for many in the Muslim and Arab communities," the official said. "President Biden made clear that he mourns the loss of every innocent life in this conflict. The President also expressed his commitment to continue working to secure an immediate ceasefire as part of a deal to free the hostages and significantly increase humanitarian aid into Gaza. The President and Vice President will continue to engage with Muslim and Arab American communities and listen to the voices of all impacted by this conflict."
According to a source familiar with the meeting, Biden "listened respectfully, and continued to engage with participants about his work to secure an immediate ceasefire as part of a deal to free the hostages and significantly increase humanitarian aid into Gaza."