Gaza Rift Splits Democrats as Convention Begins

The Democratic National Convention opens on Monday, clouded by internal discord over the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Vice President Kamala Harris steps forward as the official presidential nominee.

The Harris campaign had hoped the convention in Chicago would be a momentous celebration, especially after President Joe Biden’s surprising withdrawal from the race in July.

However, the persistent debates surrounding U.S. policy on Gaza now loom over the event, just weeks before the crucial November election.

The four-day convention will culminate in a primetime address by Harris on Thursday, where she is expected to formally accept the nomination.

Leading up to this, prominent figures such as President Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former President Barack Obama, alongside a roster of celebrities, will gather at Chicago’s United Center.

Their goal: to rally support for Harris and sharpen criticism against her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.Yet, the party remains divided on how to handle the sensitive issue of Gaza.

The Harris campaign has not issued any comments on its stance regarding the conflict, which has been escalating since Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7.

Israel’s subsequent military response has drawn significant international criticism due to the high civilian death toll, with Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reporting over 40,000 fatalities since the conflict began.

Harris has primarily focused her campaign on economic issues but has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and urged for the respectful treatment of protesters.

Nevertheless, she has stopped short of supporting a weapons embargo on Israel—a position some progressive factions within the party have strongly advocated.

The lack of a definitive policy on Gaza has stirred discontent among some Democratic voters, a sentiment reflected in the 750,000 “uncommitted” votes cast during the primary earlier this year, signaling dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s approach.

Despite a slight decline in momentum, the influence of the “uncommitted” faction persists, particularly in key swing states like Michigan.

At the convention, around three dozen delegates representing this faction will be present, although they will be vastly outnumbered by the 4,500 delegates pledged to Harris.

These delegates plan to use the platform to push for a stronger party stance on Gaza.

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“We know that this is not a small endeavor. We are challenging a status quo US policy of the past 40 years, and it won’t shift overnight,” said Samuel Doten, an “uncommitted” delegate and Democratic organizer.

Several of these delegates are seeking to gain support for a letter urging Harris and the Democratic Party to endorse a ceasefire and an arms embargo against Israel.

They emphasize their intent is not to disrupt the convention or the election but to influence party policy.

“There are thousands of voters across the US who voted ‘uncommitted,’ so it feels like a huge responsibility for us to present their wishes and to make sure that their voices are being heard and amplified in this party,” said Adrita Rahman, an “uncommitted” delegate attending the DNC for the first time.

Protests are expected to coincide with the convention, with the largest demonstration planned for Monday.

Organizers, who initially predicted up to 100,000 participants, have since revised their estimates to “many thousands” for a pro-Gaza rally, with “tens of thousands” expected by the end of the week.

Harris has received some praise from Gaza protesters for being one of the first within the Biden administration to call for a ceasefire and to criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, many activists feel that Harris’s rhetoric now needs to be matched with concrete policy actions.

“I think the people inside the DNC need to know that they have some very unpopular policies. We’re here to tell them,” said Irene Alikakos, a protester at a demonstration near Chicago’s Trump Tower on Sunday.

This protest is scheduled just before President Biden’s primetime address, where he is expected to highlight his administration’s achievements and stress the significance of the upcoming election.

The convention coincides with crucial U.S.-mediated ceasefire talks, a key initiative in the Biden administration’s final months.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday and will continue to Cairo for further negotiations.

As the ceasefire talks reportedly enter their “final” stages, Harris faces the challenge of aligning with Biden’s stance on Gaza while managing the political pressures of her own campaign.

“There’s no daylight between” Harris’s views and Biden’s, said Halie Soifer, who served as Harris’s national security adviser in the Senate.

“Her policy, which is the policy of this White House, is not changing,” added Soifer, now the leader of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

As the convention unfolds, the Democratic Party must navigate the complexities of uniting behind its nominee while addressing the deep divisions over its Middle East policy.

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Stephen Jesuwale

Jesuwale Stephen is a journalist who finished from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism. He is a distinctive writer, media strategist and also a Digital Marketer