Dispute emerges over lack of speaker on Gaza at Democratic convention

CHICAGO — The “uncommitted” delegates at the Democratic National Convention pressed their demands for a speaking slot Thursday to address conditions in Gaza, gaining support from several individuals and groups at the convention, even as organizers sought to preserve the party’s show of unity. On the final day of the convention, pro-Palestinian activists and delegates continued to hold vigils and news conferences to broadcast their disappointment with Democratic leaders who, following weeks of negotiations, declined to give them a speaking slot during the four-day event. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — a leader of the party’s left-leaning faction who gave a fiery speech in defense of Harris on the first night of the convention, saying the vice president has worked “tirelessly” to end the Israel-Gaza war — called on the Democratic National Committee late Wednesday to “change course” and allow a speaker to discuss the suffering in the Palestinian enclave. Advertisement “Just as we must honor the humanity of hostages, so too must we center the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombardment,” Ocasio-Cortez posted on X. The United Auto Workers union, a major supporter of the Democratic ticket, issued a statement saying that if “we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the DNC stage tonight.” Many UAW workers live and vote in Michigan, a crucial swing state that is home to a large Arab American population. The Harris campaign defended its decision and pointed to the vice president’s posture on the war in Gaza, saying it presents a “stark contrast” with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Advertisement Democrats have “a vice president who is committed to ending the violence, ending the conflict, making sure that we resolve this conflict with a permanent cease-fire that allows Israel to fully secure itself” and “also makes sure that Gazans are able to peacefully live and prosper in Gaza,” Michael Tyler, Harris’s communications director, told reporters. Pro-Palestinian activists at the convention said it is inappropriate to deny them a five-minute speaking slot, given the magnitude of the carnage in Gaza. Some of the pro-Palestinian activists said they supported that decision, and they praised Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin for not only delivering an emotional speech about their son’s 320 days in captivity but also speaking empathetically about Palestinian suffering. “We started pressing more when we found out the convention was going to give a prime-time spot to families of hostages, which we fully support,” said Waleed Shahid, a founder of the “uncommitted” movement. I also believe a Palestinian American voice deserves to be heard on that stage.” After weeks of negotiations, the Harris campaign this week met some of the demands of the Uncommitted National Movement, which represents about 750,000 people who voted uncommitted in the Democratic primaries. Tim Walz; meetings between senior campaign officials and uncommitted delegate leaders; “vigil” space at the convention; and a panel about Gaza off the main stage, which featured pro-Palestinian voices. Advertisement But the refusal to provide a main-stage speaking slot — confirmed after the third night of the convention had already begun — was a major rebuff, uncommitted leaders said. “The family of the Israeli Hostage that was on the stage tonight has shown more empathy towards Palestinian Americans and Palestinians than our candidate or the DNC has,” the group said in a statement. Advertisement But the broader question of how the Harris team navigates the volatile issue of Israel’s conduct of the Gaza war could persist through the campaign, especially if Israel and Hamas don’t reach a cease-fire agreement before Election Day. Communication between the Harris campaign and the uncommitted movement is continuing at the convention, including talks about setting up additional meetings, but the conversation about a speaking slot will not be reopened, people familiar with the discussions said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. Harris’s team has not said whether she will address the war during her acceptance speech, something that could send a signal to the pro-Palestinian activists as well as the party more broadly. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/22/gaza-speaker-dnc-palestinian-controversy/