In her speech Thursday evening accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris denounced the “heartbreaking” suffering experienced by Gaza residents after ten consecutive months of Israeli bombardment.
But Harris failed to acknowledge, let alone condemn, the central role the United States has played in exacerbating the humanitarian emergency in the Palestinian enclave, where civilians face daily indiscriminate bombings, starvation and outbreaks of horrific diseases – including a possible polio epidemic.
Instead, Harris repeated a line that has become common among the White House and its allies, declaring: “President (Joe) Biden and I are working around the clock” to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Nor did Harris explicitly condemn Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, which include atrocities committed with US weapons.
“Harris wanted to portray herself as strong and courageous, but when she had to switch to the passive voice (“What happened in Gaza”) to avoid denouncing Israel’s war crimes, she showed incredible cowardice.” said Palestinian-American political analyst Yousef Munayyer.
The vice president rejects a break with the government she currently serves and has not expressed support for a policy shift that would force Israel’s far-right government to agree to a ceasefire agreement – such as an arms embargo, as supported by United Nations experts, leading human rights groups and a majority of U.S. voters.
“I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself,” Harris said, condemning the October 7 Hamas-led attack.
“If you really wanted a ceasefire, you would just have to stop supplying weapons. It’s that simple.”
Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement, saidReuters After the Vice President’s speech, it was said that, in the face of the catastrophe in the Gaza Strip that was worsening by the minute, she had not delivered what was urgently needed: “Courageous leadership that breaks with the current approach.”
The IMEU Policy Project, a member of the Institute for Middle East Understanding, echoed Alawieh’s assessment, saying in a statement: “With the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris, the party has the opportunity to take a new direction.”
“Tonight, Harris called for a ceasefire in Gaza, but she failed to commit to the policy change that would ensure a ceasefire: cutting off arms sales to Israel,” the group said. “To be clear: There is no way to end this bloodshed while Israel is being supplied with billions of dollars worth of weapons while it indiscriminately bombs Palestinian families, schools, hospitals, refugee shelters and places of worship.”
“It must be emphasized that Harris’ call for ‘dignity, security, freedom and self-determination’ for the Palestinian people received thunderous applause,” the organization added. “Words are not enough, however. Democratic voters are increasingly united in their demand for a change in Gaza policy and in support of Palestinian security and freedom in general; it is time for the Democratic Party leadership to catch up.”
Despite being denied the right to speak on the Congress stage, the Palestinian-American delegates and their allies made their voices heard in the Corridors the United Center in Chicago and outside the facility, where they held a sit-in to protest the DNC’s rejection of their demands.
Calls for a Palestinian-American speaker on the DNC stage were met with broad support by Democratic lawmakers and their allies, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the United Auto Workers.
Lily Greenberg Call, a Jewish political candidate for Biden who resigned in May over the administration’s Gaza policy, said Late Thursday, she said she was “so sad and disappointed” that the DNC had decided to “silence the voices of Palestinian Americans and exclude them from the convention stage.”
“Vice President, I want you to win in November,” Call added. “You have to do better.”
Layla Elabed, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement and sister of Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), said On Thursday, it said: “Michigan voters want to vote for Harris, but we need to change our policies.”
“Many of us know firsthand the impact of US-sponsored bombs,” Elabed said.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of the representatives who showed solidarity with unaffiliated delegates when they staged a sit-in outside the DNC earlier this week, clearly articulated the position of the Palestinian rights movement in the United States during a press conference on Wednesday, one day before Harris took the stage in Chicago.
“If you really wanted a ceasefire, you would just have to stop supplying weapons,” Omar said. “It’s that simple.”
