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Protesters outside the Israeli Consulate on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) while the DNC takes place at the nearby United Center on in Chicago, Illinois.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Though there are only a handful of them among thousands of delegates, the Uncommitted Movement delegates at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) are among the most vocal.
The delegates plan to voice their discontent with the war on Gaza at the party’s convention happening 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 U.S. States and claim to represent some 7,00,000 voters.
Though they welcomed the news of President Joe Biden dropping out of the race on July 21, they have met Ms. Harris’s subsequent ascension with caution and scepticism.
“The party needed change,” Minnesota delegate Asma Mohammed said. “I do not feel sad about someone who has unapologetically supported a genocidal regime in Israel.” Ms. 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 is (Harris) more empathetic than Joe Biden, I have seen that,” Ms. 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 militant group 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 war, bringing the audience to tears.
Among the speakers slated for the DNC are some relatives of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 when it sparked the conflict by attacking Israel. “Why does it have to be one or the other?” asked Ms. Mohammed. 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 is 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 Mr. Biden gave his speech on Monday night, a gesture made in protest of his response to the war in Gaza.
“We wanted to send the message that we do not agree with what Biden has been doing,” said Sabrene Odeh, a delegate from Washington State.
While the DNC is underway, Mr. Biden’s Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is on a tour of West Asia in a new attempt to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas.
Mr. Biden acknowledged the discontent with the death toll in Gaza during his speech on Monday night.
That did not excite Yaz Kader, another Washington delegate. “The fact is, he has been a President that has supported a genocide that Israel is committing,” he said.
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Pro-Palestine delegates at Democratic Convention remain sceptical of Kamala Harris
