Abby Zimet: Ceasefire Delegates Insist Palestinian Children Can’t Eat Words

On the electric first night of the DNC, it was moving to see fervent crowds wave “We (Love) Joe” signs as Biden passed the torch to Kamala Harris. But it was utterly maddening to see them then use the same signs to frantically, surreally block a “Stop Arming Israel” banner unfurled by Ceasefire Delegates, a handful of the nation’s over 740,000 uncommitted voters who argue that, morally and electorally, Harris must heed them because, ‘”Never again’ means ‘never again, for anyone, anywhere, ever.” 

Over 20,000 delegates have packed the Democratic National Convention at Chicago’s United Center, where on Monday night Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, the Obamas and other big Dem names gave uplifting speeches to cheering crowds. Recalling the carnage of Jan. 6 and the malignant force behind it, a fired-up Jamie Raskin blasted “the sore loser who does not know how to take no for an answer from American voters, American courts or American women,” also “his pet chameleon.” Pastor and Sen. Raphael Warnock, whose speech Fox News (sic) astoundingly blocked along with other speakers of color, asserted, “A vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and our children, and our prayers are stronger when we pray together.” Hillary Clinton praised Harris for coming “so close” to breaking “the highest, hardest glass ceiling…once and for all.” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow hauled onstage a copy of the massive, evil Project 2025, declaring, “Whatever you think it might be, it’s so much worse.”

Among issues, abortion rights was one clear focus, with a Texas woman who couldn’t get an abortion despite life-threatening pregnancy complications insisting Americans “need to vote as if lives depend on it, because they do.” But the ongoing genocide in Gaza that has spawned so much death and despair was barely mentioned, other than  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praising Harris for “working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire (and) bring hostages home.” It wasn’t enough for many, including 30 Ceasefire Delegates elected by primary voters in multiple states including Wisconsin, Washington, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon and Pennsylvania. While vastly outnumbered by over 4,000 delegates pledged to Harris, they represent an estimated 740,000 uncommitted voters, including over 100,000 in Michigan and thousands protesting outside, part of a national grassroots movement insisting Harris must “turn the page” on Israel and mandate a ceasefire and arms embargo before they can, in good conscience, vote for her. 

Months ago, the Uncommitted National Movement made several demands of Dem leaders, one of which bore fruit Monday with a first-ever panel discussion on Palestinian human rights. It included James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute; Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care physician and founder of Gaza Medic Voices who’s worked in Gaza; and Minnesota A.G. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, a longtime Palestinian advocate and a vocal supporter of Tim Walz, with whom he’s worked on high-profile criminal cases including the murder of George Floyd. But uncommitted organizers still want the convention to feature two Palestinian American speakers on the main stage, and have floated the names of several candidates; they haven’t heard back yet. Some are “cautiously optimistic” Harris will ultimately change policy on Gaza, and those who’ve met with her call her “incredibly empathetic.” Still, they reiterate, “That is not enough..Palestinian children can’t eat words.”

At the convention, uncommitted delegates, many of them Jewish, attended “Ceasefire delegate training” and thoughtfully tried to explain their dilemma. “No one wants to see Trump win – we are an anti-fascist movement,” said one. “We are doing what we can to save the Democratic Party.” Also, “Unity is great, but (it) can’t come at the cost of Palestinian lives.” Several said they’ support Harris/Walz, “but we have to vote our conscience.” Citing the need for concrete action, Uncommitted’s Abbas Alawieh noted even if Harris “feels differently in her heart, that’s not going to win back voters. We need a plan, we need to know how the killing is going to stop.” With speaking slots open to family members of Hamas hostages, he clarified, “We in no way want to take away their time to speak about their pain”; they just seek to hold Democrats to a platform vowing, “Israelis and Palestinians are equally valued by this party.” Said Alawieh, “We’re hoping, if we’re going to uplift one community’s pain, we’re not silencing another.”

In many ways, the convention was stirring – its exuberance, its glad signs of hope in a populace emerging from an orange national nightmare, the renewed power and clarity of Joe Biden as he told the crowd, “I love my job, but I love my country more.” He and others got so much applause – his arrival met with a four-minute ovation the event ran over an hour behind schedule and had to scrap James Taylor. Biden relished the affection of the crowd chanting “Thank You Joe” and “We love you,” readily trashed Trump – “He promised infrastructure every week for four years and never built a damn thing” – again denounced the white supremacy at Charlottesville – “Hate has no safe harbor here” – and boasted, “We’ve had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress, and when I say ‘we,’ I mean Kamala and me.” But not everyone was so enthused; Muslim delegates reported being stopped by DNC security who roughly removed Palestinian flags from their bags or refused them entry until they left them behind.

It was a hint of the ugliness to come. As Biden declared, “You cannot say you love your country only when you win,” a few ceasefire delegates who’d “penetrated the tightly controlled, hermetically sealed Hollywood coronation show” unfurled a banner in the colors of the Palestinian flag that read, “Stop Arming Israel.” Cue the instant Zionist insanity when anyone, Jewish or no, tries to challenge Israel. In a surreal spectacle, Dems who allegedly support diversity, equality and free speech rose up in arms and signs to freak right out. Urged by frantic DNC workers, “Guys!! Signs up!!” people rushed to hoist once-benign “We Love Joe” signs high to block the unseemly sight of a righteous demand the U.S. stop funding the slaughter of thousands of children in Gaza. One patriot started hitting hijab-wearing Nadia Ahmad on the head with his “Joe” sign; one stubbornly held a “USA” sign upside-down in front of a camera filming the action. Two guys in suits finally pulled down the banner. People around them cheered. Just WTF.

The frenetic denial of the blood-soaked reality of a party-approved genocide stood in sharp, shameful contrast to Liano Sharon, a plainspoken Michigan delegate escorted off the floor for the crime of holding up a banner denouncing genocide. (Sharon appears in a longer version of the action here.) A Jew, he noted the Democratic platform calls for “a quote/unquote ‘Jewish state,’ which means an ethno-nationalist state.” He added that the essence of such a state, of Zionism itself, comes down to “who gets to kill who with impunity.” Like many of his comrades, he hopes to vote for Harris/Walz. But with over 700,000 uncommitted Dem voters, ignoring the need for an arms embargo against the mass murder of children could become “electorally, a win-or-lose issue.” Above all, he cites the Jewish command to “be wise in deeds,” and true to the tenets of his faith: “It matters to me so much because I’m a Jew, and I was always brought up to believe that ‘never again’ means ‘never again for anyone, anywhere, ever, period.'” 

“Gam zu l’tova.“ – Hebrew for, “This too is for the good.”

Abby Zimet has written Common Dreams’ Further column since 2008. A longtime, award-winning journalist, she moved to the Maine woods in the early 70s, where she spent a dozen years building a house, hauling water and writing before moving to Portland. Having come of political age during the Vietnam War, she has long been involved in women’s, labor, anti-war, social justice and refugee rights issues. 

First published in Common Dreams. Licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.