At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Kamala Harris was officially confirmed as the party's presidential candidate, with Tim Walz named as her running mate. This completes the candidate selection process for the November 5th election. On the Republican side, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance had already secured their nominations.
During the four-day convention, Chicago hosted thousands of protesters calling for an end to U.S. arms shipments to Israel. The Biden-Harris administration's unconditional support for Israel, despite its actions in Gaza, has caused deep divisions within the Democratic Party, playing a significant role in Biden's decision to withdraw from the presidential race.
Among the younger Democratic base, support for continued U.S. arms shipments to Israel is at an all-time low. In key primary states, over 700,000 Democrats cast votes against Biden's candidacy. This protest movement, now a growing force, is calling for an arms embargo on Israel as a means to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke to Mother Jones shortly before the convention, describing the situation in Gaza as "not just horrifying but genocidal." He emphasized the need to recognize it for what it is and to have the moral courage to act. However, the voices of Johnson and the protesters were not reflected on the convention's official platform, which reaffirmed unwavering support for Israel.
Tensions also arose between the independent delegate movement, representing the 700,000 Democrats who opposed Biden's nomination, and the Democratic Party establishment. The friction stemmed from the decision to allow the family of an American-Israeli hostage held in Gaza to speak at the convention, while denying the same opportunity to a Palestinian-American Democrat. Despite offers to have the speech pre-approved, the request was denied.
Following this, Mayor Johnson, members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, and left-wing Democrats in Congress staged a sit-in outside the convention. Commentators suggest that the Harris-Walz campaign, unwilling to provoke the "Israel Lobby," blocked the Palestinian-American speaker. This move risks fracturing the Democratic Party's broad coalition of voters.
In her convention speech, Harris stated, "President Biden and I are working to end this war, ensuring Israel's safety, freeing the hostages, ending the suffering in Gaza, and realizing the Palestinian people's rights to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination." However, with Israel's genocide in Gaza being carried out using American bombs, Netanyahu's willingness to agree to a ceasefire largely depends on the U.S. halting its arms shipments.
As Vice President, Harris is part of the Biden administration, under which over 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have lost their lives. The administration has shown no signs of applying the necessary pressure to force Israel into a ceasefire or hostage agreement, and the Israeli military continues its bombing campaign in Gaza. Independent Democratic delegates rightly point out, "As long as the Biden-Harris administration continues to supply Israel with the bombs to keep the fires burning, how can there be a ceasefire?"
During her convention speech, Harris firmly reiterated her commitment to the party's official Israel policy, offering little more than expressions of sympathy for the suffering of Palestinians. The mass deaths, displacement, and famine facing Palestinians are a direct result of America's unconditional support for Israel. Without ending this support, reining in Israel is impossible. Consequently, while Harris's speech at the convention was full of smiles for Israel, it amounted to little more than empty rhetoric for the Palestinians.
