Chicago, Illinois – Abbas Alawieh sat cross-legged outside the Democratic National Convention in a nearly meditative pose. In front of him lay a sign reading “Not another bomb” and “Arms embargo now,” held down by water bottles. The scorching August sun beat down on him, but Alawieh remained still, even as the concrete surrounding him grew warm. He and other delegates from the Uncommitted National Movement were staging a demonstration to protest the Democrats’ decision not to allow a Palestinian-American speaker on the main stage of the convention in Chicago.
“This situation regarding the Palestinian speaker is a mistake on the party’s part, and that is why we are seeing an overflow of support for this idea,” he stated in a comment to Al Jazeera. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) confirmed its decision on Wednesday evening, triggering anger from many progressive activists and groups who support the Democrats. Many activists view the rejection as an attempt to silence Palestinians and exclude them from the “big tent” that the Democratic Party claims to be building.
This decision also underscored the challenges faced by advocates for Palestinian rights in their struggle to challenge U.S. unconditional support for Israel, which is currently conducting a devastating war in Gaza. This conflict has loomed over the Democratic Convention, where the party has been celebrating Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy since Monday.
Approximately 30 “uncommitted” delegates are participating in the event after hundreds of thousands of people cast protest votes in the Democratic primaries against President Joe Biden’s strong support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. The Uncommitted National Movement has emerged from this protest. They are calling for Harris to support an immediate and permanent ceasefire and to impose an arms embargo against Israel.
Demanding a Palestinian speaker at the convention was the simplest of their requests, but it was still denied. Nevertheless, Alawieh asserted that the movement’s presence at the convention has successfully raised awareness of the issue.
“We are forcing a conversation about a critical issue: Palestinian human rights,” he told Al Jazeera. “We are compelling a discussion about a crucial topic that otherwise would not be addressed here, namely the need for an arms embargo that saves lives and provides a lasting ceasefire.”
After more than ten months of Israeli bombardments in Gaza, the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 40,000, raising fears of genocide. Human rights advocates are calling for a meaningful change in U.S. policy toward Israel, a country that has received military and diplomatic support from the United States.
While Biden has maintained firm support for Israel during the war, some activists have begun to question whether they should continue collaborating with the Democratic Party. Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, remarked that there is little chance the Democratic Party would allow a Palestinian speaker to address the convention.
“It is clear that those in power are not listening to us. They do not care about what happens to us, and they will not stop the genocide unless we force them to,” he said.
Maya Berry, director of the Arab American Institute, emphasized that the Democrats’ decision to exclude Palestinians from the convention stage sends the wrong message about political participation. “This is political malpractice that harms people’s connection to their democracy,” she added.