Gaza Threatens To Divide Democrats As Convention Begins
The Democratic National Convention begins on Monday, and Gaza demonstrations threaten to overshadow what is meant to be a show of solidarity for Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential contender.
The Harris team hopes that the Chicago convention would serve as a joyous celebration following President Joe Biden’s sudden withdrawal from the contest in July.
However, some worry that an internal party fight over the Gaza conflict would undermine Democrats’ unity during the convention and ahead of the November election, which is less than 80 days away.
The convention will conclude on Thursday, with Ms Harris delivering a primetime speech after accepting the party’s nomination.
President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, other party leaders, and a star-studded cast of actors and entertainers will take the stage at the
United Center in Chicago this week to praise the vice president while sharpening their attacks on her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.
However, it is uncertain how the Harris campaign and the Democratic Party would approach the sensitive issue of Israeli policy and the Gaza conflict.
The Harris campaign did not return a request for comment.
Following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, Israel initiated a military campaign in Gaza with the goal of destroying the group. In the enormous assault, over 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
Israel has received widespread condemnation for the number of civilian casualties in its offensive. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been dead in Gaza since October, according to the health ministry operated by Hamas.
Ms Harris, who embarked on a bus tour of Western Pennsylvania before heading to Chicago on Sunday, has yet to announce a firm strategy on Gaza and Israel. Her fledgling campaign has only presented a handful of economic suggestions thus far, and she is under pressure to provide more information on her policy agenda.
She has, however, asked for a cease-fire and respectful conduct of demonstrators at her rallies.
She also recently stated that “far too many” civilians had been killed, but she did not support a weapons embargo on Israel, as some progressives have called for.
Opposition to the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict prompted over 750,000 people to vote “uncommitted”—rather t than for a specific candidate—in the Democratic presidential primary earlier this year, raising concerns that these voters would stay home or vote for a third party.
While the energy of that “uncommitted” campaign has dwindled in recent weeks, the presence of that vote in crucial swing states such as Michigan will still be felt at the convention.
Only three dozen delegates at the Democratic convention will represent the “uncommitted” vote, but they speak for hundreds of thousands of dissatisfied citizens.
These delegates, many of whom are longtime Democratic organizers, will be vastly overwhelmed by the more than 4,500 who have pledged to support Ms. Harris.
Nonetheless, they said they planned to spend convention week lobbying the Harris campaign and their party to take action on Gaza.
“We understand that this is not a minor undertaking. We are contesting 40 years of US policy, and it will not change overnight,” said Samuel Doten, a Democratic organiser and “uncommitted” delegate.
Several “uncommitted” delegates expressed hope that others at the convention would sign on to their letter requesting that Ms Harris and the Democratic Party support a cease-fire and an arms embargo against Israel.
They emphasized that they were not attempting to disrupt the convention or the election but rather to persuade the party to adopt a policy that they believed was popular among Democratic voters.
“There are thousands of voters in the United States who voted ‘uncommitted,’ so it feels like a huge responsibility for us to present their wishes and ensure that their voices are heard and amplified in this party,” said Adrita Rahman, who will attend the DNC for the first time as an “uncommitted” delegate.
The organization of the protests and the number of participants are unknown.
The greatest demonstration of the week is scheduled on Monday, with organizers stating at a press conference on Sunday that “many thousands of people” will attend.
They had previously predicted that there may be 100,000 demonstrators in the streets, but they have since revised that figure to “many, many thousands” participating in a Gaza march on
Monday and “tens of thousands” overall by the end of the week.
Ms Harris had garnered some favor with Gaza protestors since she was one of the first members of the administration to advocate for a cease-fire and voice a harsher view of Israel and Mr Netanyahu.
However, many have stated that the vice president’s honeymoon phase has over. While they welcomed her rhetoric about holding Israel accountable for the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, delegates and protest organizers anticipated Ms Harris to present an actionable policy position.
“I believe the individuals inside the DNC should be aware that they have some extremely unpopular policies. We’re here to tell them,” said protester Irene Alikakos during the week’s first protest on Sunday, which drew a few hundred people near Chicago’s Trump Tower.
This demonstration will take place soon before President Biden gives the night’s primetime address. He is likely to highlight his successes and the significance of the election.
The DNC will also occur during a critical week for US-mediated ceasefire talks, a key goal in the Biden administration’s last months.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Israel on Sunday and will travel on to Cairo, where the talks are likely to yield a decision on the initiative.
The Biden White House has described the ceasefire discussions as being in their “final” stages, which might leave Ms Harris and her campaign in a difficult position.
Under normal circumstances, she would find it difficult to depart from President Biden’s position on Gaza. It becomes even more challenging when negotiations may come to an end.
Some close to her have stated that, notwithstanding, a big policy shift will not occur.
Halie Soifer, Ms Harris’s national security adviser in the Senate, stated that there was “no daylight between” Ms Harris’s and Mr Biden’s positions.
“Her policy, which is the policy of this White House, is not changing,” said Ms Soifer, who currently chairs the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
