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But since the Hamas attacks and Israel’s response in Gaza, polls show the president is losing support among Arab Americans. A poll late last year showed Mr. Biden’s support among that population dropped from 59 percent to 17 percent, a decline of more than 40 percent since the last election.
Mr Biden has been heckled at nearly every campaign event in recent weeks by people protesting his support for Israel. At the third stop on Thursday, at the Simple Palette restaurant, he was met by several protesters who were waving Palestinian flags and using a megaphone to chant slogans such as, “Genocide Joe” and “How many children have you killed today?”
Osama A., publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab American News. Mr. Siblani said on Thursday that Mr. Biden’s standing among Arab voters is as low as it has ever been, and sanctions will do nothing to change that.
“We have left them to do anything,” Mr. Siblani said. He said he was surprised by the lack of specific information from the White House about the president’s event in Michigan, saying it appeared to be an effort to avoid potential opposition.
Ahead of Mr Biden’s visit on Thursday, the White House and the president’s re-election campaign had provided only scant information about where he was going.
“If the community is not going to be able to protest his visit,” Mr. Siblani said, “we are going to answer to him on Feb. 27,” a reference to the date of the Michigan Democratic presidential primary.
A spokesman for Mr. Biden’s campaign disputed the idea that the campaign was secret, noting that Mr. Biden often appears at small events that are not announced in advance.
Protesters believe Mr Biden has not done enough to stop the killing of thousands of Palestinians by Israel. Authorities in Gaza say at least 26,000 people have been killed during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.
Officials said sanctions would not be imposed against US citizens living in Israel. State Department officials on Thursday identified the four Israelis named in the sanctions as David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanzil, Shalom Zicherman and Yinon Levy.
In a news release on Thursday, officials said Mr. Chasdai “initiated and led” the riot that resulted in the death of a Palestinian civilian and the attack on other Palestinians. He said Mr. Tanjil was “involved in attacking Palestinian farmers and Israeli workers with stones and sticks.”
Mr. Zicherman “attacked Israeli activists and their vehicles in the West Bank,” the authorities said, citing video evidence. He said Mr Levy had threatened “violence if they did not leave their homes, burning their fields and destroying their property” in the West Bank.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a statement that the sanctions were imposed in part to pressure Israel’s government to end violence perpetrated by its citizens against Palestinians living in the West Bank.
“The United States has consistently opposed actions that undermine stability in the West Bank and the prospects for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians,” Mr Blinken said. “Israel must do more to stop violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold those responsible accountable.”
mitch smith Contributed reporting from Harrison Township, Michigan, and zach montague From Washington.
