“We want a meeting with Vice President Harris so we can talk to her to get a commitment for an arms embargo and a ceasefire.” That’s the demand of “uncommitted” delegates to the upcoming Democratic National Convention, who have pledged to withhold support for the Democratic presidential nominee over the Biden administration’s backing of Israel’s ongoing attack on the Gaza Strip. We’re joined by Asma Mohammed, a DNC-bound uncommitted delegate with Minnesota Uncommitted. She shares how pro-Palestine activism has shaped the 2024 presidential race, including Kamala Harris’s decision to tap Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate over Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, who recently likened pro-Palestine protesters to the KKK. Walz has also been “pretty clear in his support for Israel” but, unlike Shapiro and other politicians, has additionally demonstrated a “willingness to learn and to move,” says Mohammed, a Minnesota resident. Overall, she says, the choice of Walz has renewed hope for many in the uncommitted movement as “a reminder that Kamala Harris is different” than President Biden and may be more receptive to restraining Israel if elected.
showing more concern is a reasonable precursor to actionable changes, of which she is somewhat limited until she is actually in the presidency
Even so, it would take a significant amount of will and political capital to stand up to Israel, the Israel lobby in the US, the Pro-Israel members of the Democratic Party, and billionaire donors who have been funding her campaign. Kamala just doesn’t strike me as the type to take the risk.
Sure, but don’t pretend as though a promise means anything until actual action is taken.