Chicago, Illinois – The “uncommitted” delegates to the Democratic National Convention in the United States have a message for their party: “Help us help you.”
About 30 of those delegates won a spot at the Chicago convention after hundreds of thousands of people voted “non-committal” in the Democratic primaries in protest of President Joe Biden’s unconditional support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
Biden has since withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race and Vice President Kamala Harris has replaced him on the Democratic ticket.
The Gaza war, however, remains a point of contention within the Democratic Party. Many “uncommitted” delegates want Harris to win, but they also want her to listen to the anti-war voters who elected them to the convention.
Only with their support can she succeed on election day, several delegates told Tel Aviv Tribune.
The “uncommitted” movement began with the Listen to Michigan campaign in February. This grassroots protest movement encouraged voters in the state’s primary elections to vote in protest. Its action exceeded expectations, garnering more than 13 percent of the vote.
The movement then took on national proportions. Voters across the country cast enough “non-binding” votes to send delegates from states like Hawaii, Washington and Minnesota to the convention.
The delegates are using their presence at the convention to demand a commitment to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo on Israel, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in the past 10 months.
To support their argument, delegates argue that without a significant policy shift, much of the party’s base — including young voters, Arabs, Muslims and progressives — will not be motivated to elect Harris in November.
At this week’s convention, uncommitted delegates and their allies are making themselves visible with keffiyehs and pins, calling for an end to arms transfers to Israel.
Tel Aviv Tribune spoke to several uncommitted delegates in Chicago. Here’s what they had to say.
Yaz Kader: “We just have to apply” American laws
Kader, a delegate from Washington state, says the “uncommitted” movement has allowed people to use a “powerful” civic tool – voting – to protest atrocities in Gaza.
“We have to work within the framework of the system that is in place. And we are showing now that political pressure can be exerted from within,” Kader told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“Also, the Democratic base here agrees with us. We can make these changes. We’ve already seen some changes in the language. We have to make changes in the policy.”
The 35-year-old Palestinian-American doctor arrived at the convention wearing a keffiyeh decorated with a brooch. “Not another bomb,” one read.
Kader added that it was “very hard” to see what Palestinians in Gaza are going through.
“There are already U.S. and international laws in place. We just need to enforce them and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
“Our laws do not allow 16,000 children to be killed in Palestine. An exception was made for the Israeli government and army, and this is not acceptable.”
Abbas Alawieh: “A great responsibility”
Alawieh, a Michigan delegate and one of the leaders of the “uncommitted” movement, said he hasn’t slept much as he works to advance the campaign’s goals.
“It feels like I have a big responsibility to the voters who elected us here, who elected me here,” Alawieh told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“I also feel a great responsibility to the members of our Palestinian community who are counting on us to do everything in our power to defend Palestinian human rights. I also feel a responsibility to my own family in southern Lebanon, who want to know when the bombings happening all around them will stop. It’s like a huge weight, and I try to remind myself to drink water.”
Sabrene Odeh: ‘We just need to end the violence’
Odeh, a delegate from Washington state, said it is “incredibly depressing” to be a Palestinian-American during the Gaza war.
At the same time, she said it was a “tremendous honor” to represent Palestinian rights advocates at the Chicago convention.
“Our messages are very clear: we want a permanent and immediate ceasefire, and we want an arms embargo. Everything else will come after. We just want an end to the violence and the killing of the Palestinian people,” she told Tel Aviv Tribune.
Jeremiah Ellison: Urging Democrats to Adopt ‘Popular Policies’
Ellison, a Minneapolis City Council member, said the war in Gaza affects people across Minnesota, not just Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims.
He rejected criticism that the “uncommitted” movement helps Republican candidate Donald Trump by dividing the Democratic base, calling the idea “stupid.”
“We are here as party delegates,” Ellison told Tel Aviv Tribune, explaining that he and other delegates are “participating in the process that the party has built” to make their voices heard.
“If we had any interest in helping Donald Trump win, we wouldn’t have become delegates to the DNC. We would have saved our money, our time, and we would have gone and told people how to vote in November,” he said.
“We’re here now at the DNC to try to convince this party to adopt policies that are very popular within the Democratic Party.”
Ellison stressed that uncommitted delegates “are not doing this alone,” saying many voters care about the issue and want an end to the atrocities in Gaza.
Shay Chan Hodges: Harris Should Listen to Young People
Chan Hodges, an unpledged delegate from Hawaii, said she wants Harris to win, but that the “only way” the vice president can beat Trump is to listen to the concerns of voters, especially young people.
The war in Gaza is at the heart of these concerns, she added.
“I’m 61. My kids are 26 and 27. My friends and my peers, we all have kids the same age, and we all hear the same thing: Kids who are raised in progressive families, who are super smart and super engaged, aren’t necessarily going to go out and vote,” Chan Hodges told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“Of course, they’re not just voters. They’re organizers. They represent the new generation. And we need every vote we can get.”
Chan Hodges said his keffiyeh-patterned scarf, emblazoned with the phrase “Democrats for Palestinian Rights,” was well received by convention delegates and supporters.
“This scarf is very popular,” she said. “I think it just reflects what we already know: 80 percent of Democrats want a ceasefire and a majority want an arms embargo.”
Rima Mohammad: Kamala Harris could lose Michigan over Gaza
Mohammad, a delegate from Michigan, says the “uncommitted” movement has brought people together to reject the war in Gaza.
Mohammad, who is a member of the Ann Arbor school board, noted the movement’s positive results in his home state.
For example, in February’s Democratic primary, Washtenaw County — a liberal stronghold that is home to the University of Michigan — saw 17 percent of voters support the “uncommitted” campaign.
Although the pivotal Midwestern state is home to large Arab and Muslim communities, Mohammad said people from all walks of life are unhappy with Washington’s support for Israel.
She added that Michigan is “crucial” to Harris’ election chances.
“I fear that if Vice President Harris does not make a strong statement in support of a permanent and immediate ceasefire and an arms embargo, she will lose Michigan,” Mohammad told Tel Aviv Tribune.