Pro-Palestinian voices silenced at Democratic convention
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The Democrats did everything possible to block pro-Palestinian voices from being heard at the party’s convention in Chicago last week.
Police confronted and arrested hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters who tried to express their free speech — a right supposedly guaranteed by the US Constitution — to urge Democrats to recognize the genocide being carried out by Israel’s government in Gaza. Instead, pro-Israel voices dominated the speeches during the four-day convention and calls to give pro-Palestinian speakers time at the microphone were vetoed by party leaders.
Only the United Autoworkers Union — which has thousands of Arab and Muslim members, including in Michigan, where there is a robust auto industry — urged that Palestinian voices be allowed to speak at the convention to balance out the overwhelming number of pro-Israel speakers.
Arab and Muslim voters were not moved by the comments newly confirmed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris made during her acceptance speech at the United Center. Harris was well aware of the efforts to balance the voices on the Gaza conflict and she referred to the conflict in her 35-minute acceptance speech. She spoke forcefully in defense of Israel’s violent actions, while making only a passing reference to the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians.
“With respect to the war in Gaza, President (Joe) Biden and I are working around the clock, because now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done,” Harris told cheering delegates and elected officials. “And let me be clear. I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on Oct. 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.”
More than 1,200 Israelis were reportedly killed during that Hamas attack, but since then Israel has massacred more than 40,000 Palestinians, with nearly half of the victims being women and children, including hundreds of babies. Although Harris was specific in her criticism of Hamas, she did not identify who was responsible for these “devasting” human losses. She avoided providing details about how Israel’s government has destroyed more than 60 percent of homes, businesses, mosques, schools and churches in Gaza.
“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” Harris said, leaving out the important detail of who massacred those Palestinian civilians.
She added: “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.”
It is clear to nearly every Arab and Muslim voter that the Democratic Party has no intention of pursuing justice in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Ray Hanania
It is clear to nearly every Arab and Muslim American voter that, despite its happy talk and empty words, the Democratic Party has no intention of pursuing justice in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Israel’s political action committees and lobbyists have the US Congress in a political headlock, as they channel hundreds of millions of dollars into the campaign coffers of any candidate willing to speak out against Palestinian rights. In fact, they have been so effective that all 312 candidates endorsed and funded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in the current round of elections won their primary contests. Those unseated include two prominent Democratic African American community leaders, Reps. Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, who have denounced the violence by both sides.
Harris herself has received nearly $62,000 in pro-Israel donations in the current election cycle.
But the biggest slap to the Arab and Muslim communities in the US came a day after the Democratic convention ended, when the Illinois State Board of Elections removed Dr. Jill Stein from the presidential ballot in the state.
Stein is the only candidate who has called for a ceasefire, condemned both Hamas and the right-wing extremist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and openly called for a two-state solution. But the Green Party candidate was ordered removed from the Illinois ballot on Friday due to a lack of signatures.
Ironically, the Illinois judiciary ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s name would remain on the ballot hours after he had announced he was suspending his candidacy to support the Republicans’ Donald Trump.
Support for Stein reflects the anger and rejection of Harris by many members of the Arab and Muslim communities and her removal from the state ballot helps the vice president. Meanwhile, much of the support for Kennedy comes from Republicans and conservatives who might otherwise vote for Trump. So, keeping Kennedy on the ballot even though he has withdrawn will help siphon votes away from the Republican nominee.
Even without Stein on the ballot in Illinois and several other states controlled by Democratic lawmakers, many Arab and Muslim Democrats will boycott Harris and could cause her to lose in key swing states, including Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia, New Jersey and Minnesota.
Harris’ election prospects remain uncertain, in part because of her party convention’s decision to marginalize the country’s Arab and Muslim communities.
- Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. X: @RayHanania
