The DNC has denied pro-Gaza activists’ request for a Palestinian-American to be given the chance to deliver their message on the main stage.
This has sparked an outcry from progressives, including New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“Just as we must honor the humanity of the hostages, we must also focus on the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombing. To deny that history is to participate in the dehumanization of Palestinians,” AOC said.
“The (DNC) must change course and affirm our shared humanity,” the New York progressive wrote in X.
But during her prime-time speech on Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez had told Vice President Kamala Harris’s crowd: “She is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bring the hostages home.”
The DNC has denied pro-Gaza activists their request for a Palestinian-American to be given the chance to deliver their message on the main stage, sparking a sea of protests from progressives to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Demands for a Palestinian voice reached a fever pitch Thursday ahead of Harris’ keynote address.
Progressives wanted Palestinian Georgia state legislator Ruwa Romman to represent their cause in front of the cameras.
On Tuesday, the DNC heard from Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, parents of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Polin, who expressed support for the Palestinian cause by calling for a hostage settlement in a heartbreaking call to action.
“Right now, 109 valuable human beings are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza,” Goldberg said.
‘They are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. They come from 23 different countries. The youngest hostage is a one-year-old red-haired baby and the oldest is an 86-year-old mustachioed grandfather. Among the hostages are eight American citizens. One of those Americans is our only son. His name is Hersh.’
“In our Jewish tradition, we say that each person is an entire universe,” Polin said.
“We must save all these universes. In a Middle East in turmoil, the only thing we can do immediately to relieve the pressure and give hope to the entire region is an agreement that allows this diverse group of 109 hostages to return home and end the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza. The time is now.”
Demonstrators gather in protest of the war in Gaza near the United Center, where the Democratic National Convention (DNC) will be held on August 21, 2024
Protesters march as the Democratic National Convention takes place in Chicago
Palestinian advocates have been demanding that one of their own take center stage.
“Rachel and Jon deserved every second on that stage. I also believe that a Palestinian American voice deserves to be heard on that stage. I would love to hear (Romman) and I hope the DNC gives her the opportunity to be heard,” Israeli-American Alana Zeitchik, who was taken hostage by six members of her family on October 7, said on X.
“Rep. Ruwa is a Democratic leader who has worked to keep Georgia in power and elect Vice President Harris. She would be a unifying voice for peace,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost, a 27-year-old Democrat from Florida who will make his main stage debut Thursday night.
“I’ve had some pretty depressing days, but to be honest, today was the hardest day. I don’t understand how there can be room for an anti-abortion Republican and not me in our party. I need someone to explain to me what to do now,” Romman posted on X after confirming she would not be speaking at the Democratic National Convention, referring to pro-life former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who spoke on stage.
The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the largest Palestinian-American community in the country. Throughout the week, some attendees at the Democratic National Convention have been holding signs with the names of those who have died in Gaza.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded “yes, of course” when asked whether a Palestinian-American should be given speaking time at the Democratic National Convention.
“We are talking about thousands of babies and elderly people who have been brutalized by an act of war.”
The Palestinian cause has been mentioned, though no one has directly blamed the Biden-Harris administration for the 10-month-old conflict. To do so would likely mean going it alone and ignoring the teleprompter: any speech that cast the Democratic front-runner in an unfavorable light would not be approved by the DNC.
But some have noted that vocal calls for a Palestinian-American to be included on the program only increased after the convention began, and the tentative program had already been set long ago.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says some 40,000 people have been killed in the region since the war broke out following the Oct. 7 attack.
“The vast majority of Americans want an end to the bombing, the hostages returned, and lasting peace. Palestinian Americans deserve to share their stories on the #DNC stage. And we should listen and act on behalf of human rights. #Notanotherbomb,” wrote Rep. Greg Casar, a progressive caucus leader and Democrat from Texas, on X.
“When a majority of voters are demanding a ceasefire and an end to genocide, it is completely out of place and shameful for the DNC to deny Palestinian Americans a voice at the convention,” said Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who recently lost a primary to a more Israel-friendly challenger.
He also criticized Michelle Obama’s call for leftist critics of the Democratic nomination to remain silent.
“Michelle Obama implored all of us to do something. I implore our party to do better,” Bush said.
“The moment something goes wrong, the moment a lie is imposed, friends, we cannot start complaining,” Michelle Obama had said. “We cannot have a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is okay or not.”
So, friends, we cannot be our own worst enemies,” he concluded.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a Palestinian-American congresswoman, said all the talk of “hope” and “joy” surrounding Harris as a front-runner should be “shattered” by the plight of the Palestinians.
“Hearing what we’ve done to generations of families shatters the false narrative of hope and joy,” she said.
During a pro-Palestinian National Uncompromised Movement press conference outside the DNC perimeter, Tlaib shouted via FaceTime: “We shouldn’t have to beg.”
“A Palestinian-American sharing his story, calling for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages, and calling on everyone to support the anti-fascist ticket would be powerful,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who also had a spot on the main stage, wrote on X.
Even the United Auto Workers union intervened in Case X:
“If we want to end the war in Gaza, we cannot bury our heads in the sand or ignore the voices of Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party. If we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American to speak from the stage of the Democratic National Convention tonight.”
“The Palestinian right to self-determination was erased by the British with the Balfour Declaration, which mentioned civil and religious rights, but not political rights. The Democratic Party is making a tragic mistake in 2024 by perpetuating this erasure of Palestinian history and voice,” added Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California.
“Watching Rachel and Jon Goldberg Polin on stage last night was powerful and heartbreaking. It was important because it wasn’t about politics, it was about empathy and humanity. I cried as they shared their story and their pain with the world,” Haddar Susskind, an Israeli-American and former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, said on X.
“But pain and humanity are not exclusive to Israelis, and neither should empathy. I agree with my Palestinian friends in their call for their voices and humanity to be recognized and valued in the same way… I hope the Democratic National Committee will reconsider its position and put a Palestinian-American on stage tonight.”
The Uncommitted group has been holding regular press conferences outside the convention and was granted a Democratic National Committee-approved panel on Palestinian human rights. The panel included the group’s co-founders and doctors who had worked in Gaza.
The group considered it a victory to be included in the DNC after working against the Biden-Harris ticket in states where they encouraged Democrats to vote “no compromise” in protest of Biden’s relationship with Israel.
“This is a historic moment that the DNC has convened a panel to discuss Palestinian human rights, but I also recognize that it is not enough… a policy change is the only thing that will achieve a ceasefire,” said Uncommitted co-founder Layla Elabed.
Advocates have begun to question whether Harris will eschew Biden’s approach to the Middle East conflict, even though she has not signaled any policy differences with the current administration.
Still, co-founder Abbas Alawieh struck a hopeful note: “Vice President Harris is working with us on this issue.”
“We consider this to be a step in the right direction,” he told reporters.