A group of pro-Palestinian activists put pressure on the vice president’s policies surrounding Israel during a panel Monday night.
While the first night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicked off on Monday, a panel of pro-Palestinian activists gathered to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and their demands for Vice President Kamala Harris.
The panel, hosted at McCormick Place convention center in Chicago, took place outside the site of the main stage for the DNC, and featured a group of uncommitted Democratic delegates that are demanding an immediate ceasefire and a weapons embargo against Israel.
Speakers at the forum shared stories of losing loved ones in the ongoing war, which broke out after the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In its attack, Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. About half were released during a week-long ceasefire in November. Meanwhile, Israel’s offensive has killed at least 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the Associated Press reported Thursday, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Speakers at Monday’s forum also put pressure on Harris, slated to officially accept the Democratic Party’s nomination at the DNC later this week, to adopt policies that align with the Uncommitted National Movement, which is demanding the White House stop sending military aid to Israel. The vice president has said that she supports a ceasefire deal but remains committed to supporting Israel’s « right to defend itself. »
It comes as President Joe Biden’s administration is pushing for a breakthrough in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. The White House has been seemingly positive about the possibility of success, with a senior Biden administration official saying on Friday that the goal was to reach a deal « over the coming week. »
« We need the vice president to keep pushing the envelope », former Michigan Representative Andy Levin said during Monday’s panel, according to a report from journalist Prem Thakker in an X, formerly Twitter, post.
