Harris and Walz face pressure from the left over Israel-Hamas war

Just days after forming their ticket, Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are already battling pressure from members of the pro-Palestinian movement, whose dissatisfied voters pose a potential threat to the double in the main states that make up the “blue wall”.

Harris was confronted by protesters twice last week, during rallies in Michigan and Arizona, over the country’s handling of the war in Gaza. And although several leaders of the National Uncommitted Movement expressed a hopeful tone about the new ticket after a brief meeting with Harris in Detroit, other groups, such as the Abandon Biden Campaign, see little light between her and Biden on the issue.

The mixed signals from the party’s left flank raise questions about whether Harris will be able to bring those voters back into the fold.

“It opens the door and creates a possibility,” said James Zogby, a member of the Democratic National Committee and co-founder of the Arab American Institute, about whether the new ticket could bring back protesting voters.

“We will see in the coming weeks,” he added.

This optimistic note was echoed by others, including some who belonged to the movement trying to pressure President Biden, rallying voters to support an “uncompromised” option in this year’s primaries.

“There was a huge shift when Biden dropped out,” Laura Keating, an unpledged DNC delegate from New Jersey, told The Hill. “My phone started beeping on the Signal app when it launched. There was hope.”

The Democratic Party quickly formed a new ticket just weeks after Biden dropped out of the race, with Harris choosing Walz as her running mate this week. Democrats widely applauded the running mate selection as some on the left raised concerns about Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who is Jewish, and his views on the Israel-Hamas war.

Harris called the situation in Gaza “devastating” and noted that “Israel has the right to defend itself, but how it does so is important.” At the same time, his national security advisor, Phil Gordon wrote on X that the vice president does not support an arms embargo, and it is still too early to say how Harris’s policy will change, if at all, in the conflict compared to Biden.

“Since October 7, the Vice President has prioritized engagement with members of the Arab, Muslim and Palestinian community and others regarding the war in Gaza. The vice president reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with these communities,” a Harris campaign spokesperson told The Hill in a statement.

“The vice president has been clear: she will always work to ensure that Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist groups,” the spokesperson continued.

“The vice president is focused on securing the ceasefire and hostage agreement currently under discussion. As she said, it is time for this war to end in a way where: Israel is safe, the hostages are freed, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom and self-determination. .”

waltz told MPR News after more than 45,000 primary voters voted in protest against Biden, they claimed that these voters were “civically engaged” and acknowledged that “these people are calling for a change of course.” Walz also said Israel has the right to defend itself and some pro-Israel groups also supported the Democratic running mate.

Some members of the pro-Palestine movement have signaled that they see a possible opening to make inroads with the new Democratic ticket on the issue of the war, which was sparked when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. .

The subsequent war between Israel and Hamas led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, large-scale destruction in the Gaza Strip and a humanitarian crisis.

And Biden has faced growing calls to increase pressure on Israel over its role in the death and destruction and to curb U.S. arms supplies.

“There is a window for Harris to take a stance that turns a page on Biden’s current policy,” Layla Elabed, one of the leaders of the National Uncommitted Movement, told The Hill.

Elabed and Abbas Alawieh, founders of the National Uncommitted Movement, spoke briefly with Harris at a photo op while the vice president was in Detroit. They expressed hope about a possible meeting to discuss an arms embargo.

“We know she doesn’t support an arms embargo because it’s not administrative policy,” Elabed told The Hill. “That’s why it’s important that we meet with her and that she hears our voices.”

Dearborn, Michigan Mayor Abdullah Hammoud (D), another prominent voice on the issue, similarly suggested that “the door is open, that there is now opportunity for dialogue.” in a recent interview with PBS News Hour. He said he expected to see a “tough policy” from her in addition to her rhetoric.

Organizers are also seeing a shift in support from young voters.

According to Neha Dewan, co-director of Harris’ South Asians, her organization’s youth team was having “difficulty” engaging young voters due to apathy linked to the war in Gaza, calling the move “a remarkable”.

That has changed since Harris took office as the nominee.

“There has definitely been a shift because the biggest concern that youth organizers brought to us was that they didn’t like the Biden administration’s policy on the war in Gaza,” said Bejay Chakrabarty, a youth organizer with South Asians for Harris. “More people are coming now.”

“She is not a coward, she is not a fool. She needs and has America’s young people. She has to keep them, and the next time they bomb a hospital, she might lose them if she doesn’t say something,” Keating told The Hill.

Harris angered some Democrats when she responded to protesters who interrupted her speech in Detroit by saying, “You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win, then say so. Otherwise, I’m talking.

But party members gave him credit for the way he approached them in Phoenix, when he said, “We’re here to fight for our democracy, which includes respecting the voices that I think we’re hearing” and noted “the president and I’m working 24/7 to conclude the ceasefire agreement and bring the hostages home.

“I’m grateful that the Vice President learned her lesson from Wednesday in Michigan and gave the *right* response in Arizona tonight to pro-Palestine protesters. (Now she just needs to make it happen and stop selling guns!) ” wrote former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan on X.

But other members of the pro-Palestine movement believe that little has changed between the two campaigns.

“We consider her an integral part of the administration,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC and national chair of the US Palestinian Community Network. “We consider that the policies of unequivocal diplomatic, political, military and financial support for Israel are the policies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”

Abudayyeh said there would not be a “change” in how they would proceed before the Democratic National Committee.

“We will mobilize these tens of thousands to protest at the DNC,” he said.

When Walz was chosen as Harris’ running mate, the Abandon Biden campaign also warned “against falling into minimal banalities”. The group also criticized Harris for her handling of protesters in Detroit.

“I think the chances of compromise with a Biden-Harris ticket are the same as with a Harris-Walz ticket,” said Hudhayfah Ahmad, spokeswoman and head of media for the Abandon Biden campaign, who highlighted the campaign it would be using the phrase “Abandon Harris.” “People assume it will be easier under Harris-Walz without any evidence.”

With less than 100 days until the November elections and just weeks before the convention in Chicago, where several groups are expected to protest, the Harris-Walz ticket has a short path to turning the tide with disaffected Democrats.

This is particularly true in states like Michigan, home to large Arab and Muslim American communities, which cast a not-insignificant share of votes against Biden. The mood at the Democratic convention could offer some of the first clues as to whether protesting voters will be able to accept the new ticket.

“Everyone says it’s only three months. It’s a long time,” said Zogby, a longtime DNC member.

“We’ll see what they do. But there is a possibility here of showing real signs of change.”

Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman (D), who is Palestinian and met with Harris about the war in Gaza, suggested that “there was a lot of cautious optimism” when Harris became the nominee, but that “a lot of that optimism has been eroded.” when she confronted protesters at the Detroit rally. After Harris addressed protesters in Arizona, she said she was “glad to see the immediate adjustment.”

“In that moment, I think there was an opportunity to show empathy and speak up instead of saying you want Trump to win,” Romman said of the Detroit rally.

“We have a historic candidate who is clearly listening,” she said of Harris in Arizona. “This immediate adjustment shows that she is receptive to feedback. But the reality is that we cannot fully capitalize on this historic moment.”

Laura Kelly and Yash Roy contributed.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story