Anti-Israel protests could ‘escalate,’ turn more extreme to get Biden’s attention, report warns

Anti-Israel protests could ramp up as activists adopt more "extreme tactics" to put increased pressure on President Biden as the election nears, a new report warns.

On Monday, anti-Israel agitators blocked traffic in San Francisco, Oakland, New York City, Philadelphia and several other locations as part of a campaign against the United States' continued support for Israel in its war with Hamas terrorists. 

These disruptions could "foreshadow a potentially volatile summer of protests, creating a challenge for President Biden and sparking debate over whether some activists’ tactics threaten to undermine public support for their movement," The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

"If this continues for another six months, I would expect that the types of tactics deployed do escalate and we do see more extreme protests," Omar Wasow, an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, told the Post. "There will become a more militant faction that advocates for more extreme tactics."

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One organizer who helped shut down a freeway in Oakland during Monday's protest said the coordinated disruptions were evidence that the movement was picking up steam.

"Today is proof that people are going to fight and keep escalating until there is a permanent cease-fire," Sha Wiya Falcon told The Post.

Wasow, who has studied protest movements for decades, argued that these disruptive methods could change policy even if they backfire with the public.

"When protesters use extreme tactics, they might lose the public, but nevertheless they get to signal to leaders who then want to manage the issue," Wasow said. "So, in that way, more extreme tactics might hurt you at the ballot box … but they also could help you get policy responses from leaders."

Vincent Pons, another expert on protest movements and an associate professor at Harvard Business School, believes the anti-Israel protests will likely gain Biden's attention. 

"Whether or not the protests continue will depend on whether they feel heard by the administration," Pons said in the report. "The fact the protests will take place so close to a presidential election could imply that the administration will be more likely to pay attention."

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Since the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel, Biden has faced increased demands from younger progressive voters to withdraw support from Israel in its war with Hamas. 

The president has met with Muslim American leaders over the past several months in attempts to relieve these tensions.

White House officials previously traveled to Detroit earlier this year and faced an icy reception from Muslim American community leaders in the swing state, where more than 100,000 Democratic primary voters cast protest votes for "uncommitted" as part of an organized showing of disapproval for Biden's posture toward the conflict.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.