Not all leftists are unequivocally supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Although the mainstream media has consistently reported on the positive remarks made by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), and other popular progressive figures about the vice president, they have failed to mention the recent withdrawal of support for Harris by a highly influential anti-Israel group.
The Uncommitted National Movement, a pro-Palestinian organization that promotes a cessation of hostilities with Hamas, emphasized on X the declaration made by a group of Muslim women withdrawing their endorsement for the Harris-Walz ticket. Muslim Women for Harris-Walz is not officially connected to the campaign, but they had previously expressed optimism that the Democratic Party will extend an invitation to a Palestinian speaker to address the Democratic National Convention, which is now being attended by numerous protestors in Chicago. The organization announced their decision to disband after being informed that the Democratic Party had rejected their proposal.
“We cannot in good conscience, continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement, that VP Harris’ team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC,” read the statement on X. “The family of the Israeli Hostage that was on the stage tonight, has shown more empathy toward Palestinian Americans and Palestinians, than our own candidate or the DNC has. This is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have the right to speak about Palestine. We pray that the DNC and VP Harris’ team makes (sic) the right decision before this convention is over. For the sake of each of us.”
— Uncommitted National Movement 🌺 (@uncommittedmvmt) August 22, 2024
The decision is a setback for Harris, who had hoped to skillfully reunite a deteriorating alliance of progressive Jews and pro-Palestinians that has long been present inside the Democratic Party. The attack carried out by Hamas on October 7th resulted in the death of 1,400 Jews and the capture of several hundred individuals. This incident has reignited a debate regarding the appropriate time and place to support the Palestinian cause, considering the actions of this terrorist organization. The Israeli retaliatory attacks, which have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Gazans, have sparked a series of anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses throughout the year, as well as outside the Democratic National Convention this week.
During the Democratic state primary elections, the Uncommitted campaign attracted up to 15% of Democratic voters who chose not to nominate President Joe Biden for a second term in certain areas. The protest vote demonstrated profound discontent among younger, more progressive voters due to his persistent endorsement of arming Israel in its conflict. Following a chaotic initial day of protests, during which rioters forcibly breached a gate and infiltrated protected zones, the DNC protestors maintained a predominantly nonviolent demeanor by the third evening. However, their impact on the ticket has been noticeable; opponents observed that Pennsylvania Governor Joshua Shapiro, who is a deeply religious Jew, was probably excluded from consideration as a running mate because of concerns that his selection would incite more hostility from pro-Palestinian alliances.
