Pro-Palestine delegates welcome Biden’s exit, but side-eye Kamala at Democratic convention

CHICAGO: Though there are only a handful of them among thousands of delegates, the “Uncommitted Movement” delegates at the Democratic National Convention are among the most vocal.

They plan to voice their discontent with the conflict in Gaza at the party’s convention in Chicago, during which Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination in the close race for the White House.

The 30 “Uncommitted Movement” delegates hail from eight different US states and claim to represent some 700,000 voters. Though they welcomed the news of President Joe Biden dropping out of the race on July 21, they have met Harris’s subsequent ascension with caution and skepticism.

“The party needed change,” Minnesota delegate Asma Mohammed said. “I don’t feel sad about someone who has unapologetically supported a genocidal regime in Israel.” Mohammed came to Chicago hoping to see a renewed perspective within her party, but she said she is disappointed that the convention has no pro-Palestinian voices on the speaker list.

“I know she’s (Harris) more empathetic than Joe Biden, I’ve seen that,” Mohammed said. “But those words are not enough. That needs to be followed by policy.” The Uncommitted Movement advocated for adding Tanya Haj Hassan to the speaker list, wanting the thousands of attendees to hear from a doctor who has treated victims of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

However, all that has been permitted at the event so far is a panel at the nearby McCormick Center, outside the main venue. During the panel, the pediatrician described the horrors of conflict, bringing the audience to tears.

Both sides

Among the speakers slated for the DNC are some relatives of the 251 prisoners of Israel that were taken on October raid. “Why does it have to be one or the other?” asked Mohammed, who emphasised that more than 40,000 people have died in Gaza from Israel’s retaliation, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. For her, there is room to listen to both sides.

Jacob Schonberger, a 17-year-old delegate representing the state of Connecticut, is not part of the “Uncommitted Movement” but shares the sentiment.

He arrived at the convention wearing buttons with slogans in support of Israel. “I think it should be leadership’s decision... I have my personal beliefs, but I think that it’s important to have both sides,” he said.

In addition to the “Uncommitted Movement,” protests fomented outside the United Center, the venue for the convention, where hundreds of people chanted “Free Palestine!” Inside the arena, some delegates covered their mouths as Biden gave his speech, a gesture made in protest of his response to the conflict in Gaza. “We wanted to send the message that we don’t agree with what Biden has been doing,” said Sabrene Odeh, a delegate from Washington state.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2024