SHAME ON THE DNC!
- By Michel Moushabeck
It is ludicrous that keynote speakers for a party campaigning on freedom and democracy would be silent about the genocide in Gaza, where Palestinians are being subjected to daily bombardment and unimaginable suffering. It’s infuriating that the DNC would ignore the children of Gaza, who are being starved at the fastest rate the world has ever seen. How can the DNC disregard the massive mobilization of protests around the country and on university campuses? And there hasn’t been a peep about Israeli apartheid, which the International Court of Justice confirmed in its recent ruling, where it demanded that Israel end its occupation of Palestinian lands. The ICJ also ordered the dismantling of Israel’s illegal settlements.
The DNC’s total abandonment of Gaza and the Palestinians is nothing short of shameful.
We’ve heard a lot about President Biden’s achievements. Yet the destruction of Gaza and the genocide of Palestinians will be a major aspect of Biden’s legacy. President Biden’s stubborn refusal to halt arms shipments to Israel and his unwillingness to put the necessary pressure on Israel to stop the carnage in Gaza has enabled Israel’s relentless, eleven-month assault on Palestinians. In his speech on the convention floor, he told the cheering crowd that he has been working tirelessly for peace. He commented, “As you know, I wrote a peace treaty for Gaza. A few days ago I put forward a proposal that brought us closer to doing that than we’ve done since October 7th.” And yet, a week ago, Biden approved sending $20 billion worth of weapons to Israel.
While normal life has come to a complete halt in Gaza, it’s business as usual at the DNC. Israel has made Gaza unlivable, but the Harris-Walz campaign has made no progress whatsoever on the ceasefire, and there was no mention at all of the rising death toll, which has now exceeded 40,000 Palestinians, of whom 15,000 are children.
Apart from a brief comment by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who said in his speech that “We must end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages and demand an immediate cease-fire,” the subject of Gaza was largely avoided. Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) went so far as to defend Kamala Harris, saying that the Vice President is “working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bring the hostages home.” What a betrayal!
Keeping Palestinians off the stage is unacceptable.
Inside and outside the convention hall, pro-Palestinian protesters were unstoppable. Nearly 15,000 fearless protesters marched on the Democratic National Convention, making their voices heard and bringing their demands to the door of the Democratic Party. Many were arrested by the police. One woman, inside the convention hall, was caught on video being assaulted with a sign by a Biden supporter, who was evidently displeased by her pro-Palestinian banner.
Under pressure from the three dozen or so delegates of the Uncommitted National Movement, the DNC did allow a single pro-Palestinian panel to take place: its speakers included Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan—a pediatric surgeon who described heart-wrenching and traumatic episodes while treating children during her time at a Gaza hospital, James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, as well as Nina Turner and Andy Levin, two candidates for Congress who were targeted and defeated by AIPAC-supported candidates.
"We are here to deliver a policy that saves and improves lives.”
This was the message of Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh, at a press conference on the sidelines of the DNC. Uncommitted delegates demanding an end to the genocide have also requested that the DNC allow a Palestinian to speak at the convention floor podium. On Wednesday evening, they staged a sit-in outside the convention hall, saying they are prepared to stay there until the DNC agrees to their demand. So far, the DNC has denied their request.
The DNC has invited the families of Israeli hostages to speak on the main stage.
Could there be clearer evidence that the DNC does not give equal value to Israeli and Palestinian lives? The genocide in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine are key issues in the 2024 presidential election. The nationwide student movement will ensure that they remain so—until US foreign policy changes, and we see an end to Israeli apartheid and the denial of Palestinian rights.
Ignoring the will of the vast majority of Democratic voters will inevitably hurt the Democrats at the ballot box this November. As long as the Democratic Party votes to supply war weapons to Israel, flouts U.S. and international law, and continues its complicity in Israel’s genocidal practices, it will be more difficult for them to defeat Donald Trump.
MICHEL MOUSHABECK is the founder and director of Interlink Books. In 2024, he was named Arab American of the Year by ACCESS (the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services), the largest Arab American community nonprofit in the United States.
