Palestinian-American prevented from speaking at Democratic Convention

Uncommitted delegates participating in the Democratic National Convention that concludes today in the American city of Chicago reported that they were denied their main request: to bring a speaker to the podium.

As they explained, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign denied a Palestinian-American from speaking at the convention.

The delegates, who were elected in the Democratic primaries this year in protest of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, warned they would commit themselves to Harris’ candidacy if she was allowed to intervene at the event.

Abbas Alawieh, a Michigan delegate and former congressional chief of staff who was denied the right to speak. Photo file

Quoted by NBC News, Abbas Alawieh, a delegate from Michigan and former congressional chief of staff, said he was waiting for a call the entire time and finally an unidentified official contacted him last night to notify him that “the answer is no.”

Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez traveled to Michigan this week to meet with líderHe is local Arabs and who held a meeting with some of those voters in recent days.

Furthermore, this appointment provided them with a space on Monday for a discussion panel on the Palestinian issue and there was also one with líderIt’s Jews about anti-Semitism.

Organizers also noted that several speakers addressed the suffering of Palestinian civilians and that the Democratic Party’s platform calls for lasting peace with a two-state solution, the media outlet reported.

Of the almost 700 delegates attending this National Convention, only 30 are non-committed, but another 250 Harris delegates signed a letter supporting the demand for a ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo on Israel.

And although inside the fortified United Center posters rose with allegorical messages at every moment and speaker, they could not drown out others such as “Stop arming Israel.”

The delegates of that group represent the more than 740 uncommitted voters in the country who argued that, morally and electorally, Harris must listen to them if she wants to have their support in November.