By Andrea Shalal and Kanishka Singh
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Disappointed pro-Palestinian activists said Kamala Harris’ speech to close the Democratic convention in Chicago failed to show a break from the status quo, after a week of mostly ignoring the most divisive issue facing the party.
Under pressure to respond to critics of US support for Israel’s war on Gaza, the vice president used a speech Thursday night to repeat earlier calls for a ceasefire and hostage deal. He said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself and also favors the Palestinian right to self-determination.
Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement that mobilized more than 750,000 voters to protest US policy in Israel, said Harris missed the opportunity to win over them, many of whom live in war-torn states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Arizona .
“What is needed at this time is courageous leadership that breaks with the current approach,” Alawieh told Reuters shortly after Harris officially accepted the party’s nomination.
Disaffected delegates and their allies have unsuccessfully pushed for a prime-time speech slot at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to address the latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which began on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s offensive on Hamas-ruled Gaza, aided by US support, has killed 40,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials said, as well as displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million inhabitants, causing a hunger crisis and almost the entire enclave.
Rima Mohammad, delegate Uncommitted from Michigan, said the speech increases the disappointment in the DNC who refused to let the Palestinians speak, and there is nothing to assuage the concerns of the progressive, diverse community in Ann Arbor.
“I’m more concerned now,” Mohammad said. “It just looks bad. You’re going to lose Michigan.”
A campaign spokeswoman declined to explain the decision not to schedule a speech by a Palestinian speaker at the DNC. The decision was made by a DNC committee in close consultation with the Harris campaign, sources familiar with the discussions said.
Party insiders fear the Gaza war could cost Harris needed votes in war states such as Michigan, which is home to a large Muslim and Arab American population and a college campus that has been the site of Gaza protests.
The convention was held in Chicago, home to the largest Palestinian community in the United States, according to the Arab American Institute.
The DNC faces daily pro-Palestinian protests in Chicago, including thousands of protesters Thursday night before Harris’ speech. Dozens of arrests were made over the course of a week.
Protesters carried banners reading “No Embargo No Vote” and “No Ceasefire No Vote,” while thousands chanted “ceasefire now,” and “Save Palestine.”
“Leading Israel’s right to defend itself after 40,000 Palestinians were massacred is tone deaf,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesman for the Coalition to March on the DNC and National Chair of the US Palestinian Community Network, who said Harris was simply repeating the President. Joe Biden’s position.
“Harris is not saying anything new,” he said. “We continue to demand that the US and Harris impose an arms embargo and stop sending arms and all other aid to Israel.”
Mohammad, Alawieh and other Uncommitted delegates spent the previous night on the sidewalk outside the convention to protest the DNC’s rejection of a request for a Palestinian speaker.
He welcomed the call for a ceasefire and the return of hostages by the parents of US hostages held in Gaza – Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin – on Wednesday night, but said they should also be given a chance to speak.
Pro-Palestinian protesters and delegates said they welcomed the message of solidarity from the Mobil United union and the Movement for Black Lives, a network of more than 150 leaders and organizations. Muslim Women for Harris-Walz says the X will cease operations after the DNC’s decision.
Ruwa Romman, a Georgia state legislator and a delegate who spent the night outside the DNC, said Uncommitted organizers had been negotiating with the Harris campaign for weeks and provided a list of possible speakers, only to be rejected.
Before Harris’ speech, only a handful of speakers spoke about the war, including Biden, Senators Bernie Sanders and Raphael Warnock, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
One major Harris campaign donor, who requested anonymity to be candid about private conversations with the campaign, said he was concerned that without a ceasefire deal imminent and a clear statement from Harris about ending the war and protecting civilians, campus protests could flare up. again when. the university resumes classes in the coming days.
“We need every vote,” the donor said.
