The Democratic National Convention wrapped on Thursday, marking the end of four nights of speeches — none of which included a Palestinian voice on the main stage. Despite pushback from several prominent Democrats — including AOC and Ilhan Omar — the DNC stuck to its decision to decline the Uncommitted Movement’s request to add a Palestinian American speaker to the lineup.
Although Israeli Americans Rachel and Jon Goldberg-Polin were given a slot on the main stage at the DNC Wednesday night, Georgia representative Ruwa Romman — one of the speakers suggested by Uncommitted — had to give her speech at a press conference instead. “Clearly they have room for anti-choice Republicans, but sadly, it doesn’t seem like they have room for Palestinians,” she told The Independent, likely referring to Republican DNC speakers like Arizona mayor John Giles, former congressman Adam Kinzinger, and former Georgia lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan.
According to Uncommitted activist Lily Greenberg Call, the DNC offered pro-Palestinian activists a meeting with staff, which she told the Huffington Post felt like an empty promise:
Kamala Harris did use her acceptance speech to speak about Israel and Palestine, repeating that she and President Biden “are working around the clock” on “a hostage deal and ceasefire.” While doubling down on her commitment to standing up for Israel’s right and ability to defend itself, she took a moment to acknowledge the suffering in Gaza:
At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past ten months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.
President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity. Security. Freedom. And self-determination.
“I was glad that she mentioned Palestinian dignity, and it did not surprise me that there was thunderous applause, and it’s part of what we’ve been saying: that Democrats widely support Palestinian human rights,” Alawieh told The Independent of Harris’s speech.
On Friday, the Abandon Biden campaign released a statement launching their Abandon Harris campaign, writing, “Our commitment is to ensure that Kamala Harris loses the 2024 election and to make it clear that anyone who runs on a platform of genocide will be condemned to failure.”
