Biden to meet Muslim leaders, hold scaled-down iftar break fast

US President Joe Biden is set to host a small group of Muslim American community leaders at the White House for a meeting on Tuesday followed by a scaled-down iftar dinner, as he seeks to relieve tensions over his administration’s staunch support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris will be joined by Muslim staffers in the Democratic administration and senior national security aides, a White House official said, in the most high-profile engagement yet between the White House and the Muslim American community since the war began six months ago. Muslim staffers will then join the president for a dinner to break the fast during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.

The White House does not immediately name the community members who would join the meeting.