Skip to content Skip to footer

“Uncommitted” Wins Panel on Palestinian Rights, Pushes for Speaking Time at DNC

“Our focus remains on policy change,” the cofounders of the Uncommitted National Movement said in a statement.

Participants hold signs during a protest to demand reproductive justice, defend the rights of trans and queer people, and demand a ceasefire in Palestine on the eve of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 18, 2024.

The opening day of the Democratic National Convention on Monday will feature its first-ever panel on Palestinian rights, a result of persistent grassroots organizing against U.S. support for Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip — a war that a majority of Democratic voters believe is genocidal.

The co-founders of the Uncommitted National Movement — which urged voters to mark “uncommitted” on their Democratic primary ballots earlier this year to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza — announced the panel in a statement on Monday, calling it an “important step toward recognizing the rightful place of human rights advocates for Palestinian rights within the Democratic Party.”

“With this panel and throughout our engagement at the DNC, we will use our platform to communicate the cries of the majority of Democratic voters who want an end to the unconditional flow of U.S. weapons that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is using to kill Palestinian families,” said Layla Elabed — the sister of U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — and Abbas Alawieh.

“We thank DNC leadership for working with us on this historic panel, and we remain hopeful that they and the Harris campaign will honor our request for Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan and a Palestinian-American to be granted speaking time from the convention stage,” they continued. “Our focus remains on policy change. Vice President Harris has an opportunity to unite the party against [Republican nominee Donald] Trump this week by turning the page toward a human rights policy that saves lives and helps us re-engage key voters for whom Gaza is a top issue.”

“We will keep pushing for our party’s leadership to break away from its current financing of Israel’s horrific assault on Gaza and military rule over Palestinians,” Elabed and Alawieh added.

The last time the DNC featured discussion of Palestinian rights was in 1988, during a policy debate that included Arab American Institute founder James Zogby, who will take part in Monday’s six-member “Democrats for Palestinian Rights” panel.

“What’s happening today is that it’s not a candidate-led effort, it’s a people-led effort,” Zogby said in an MSNBC appearance on Sunday, contrasting the current Palestinian rights push with the 1988 effort spearheaded by Jesse Jackson.

Palestinian rights advocates “have elected their own delegates,” Zogby noted, referring to the dozens of “uncommitted” delegates who will be in attendance at the Democratic convention in Chicago, where tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to rally in the streets in opposition to the Biden administration’s ongoing military support for Israel.

“They’re not Jackson delegates, they’re uncommitted delegates. They’re not Bernie delegates, they’re uncommitted,” Zogby continued. “I think Kamala Harris has to read the room.”

In recent weeks, Palestinian rights advocates have been pressuring Harris, the Democratic nominee, to substantively break with the Biden administration on Gaza by endorsing an arms embargo against Israel — a position backed by a majority of American voters.

Harris has expressed an openness to dialogue with Palestinian rights advocates but has yet to accept their concrete demands.

Monday’s panel will also feature Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care surgeon who recently served in Gaza; Hala Hijazi, a Democratic organizer who has had several family members killed in Gaza by Israel’s military; Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison; and former U.S. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), a Jewish progressive who was unseated in the 2022 midterms by an AIPAC-backed candidate.

On top of the efforts of panel participants, “uncommitted” delegates, and outside demonstrators, a roughly 60-member group called “Delegates Against Genocide” plans to “exercise its freedom of speech rights during main events” at the four-day convention, Reuters reported Sunday.

The delegate group is urging a “no” vote on the Democratic Party’s 2024 platform over its “failure to demand a permanent and sustainable cease-fire in Gaza enforced by a U.S. arms embargo on Israel.” The proposed platform expresses support for an immediate and “durable” cease-fire agreement and voices opposition to the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.

“We must take a stand for justice, both domestically and internationally,” Nadia Ahmad, a DNC delegate from Florida, said in a statement. “A ‘no’ vote on the platform sends a clear message that we, as Democrats, will not support policies that enable genocide, war crimes, and human rights abuses.”

Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.

Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.

Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.

As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.

And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.

In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.

We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.

We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $150,000 in one-time donations and to add 1,500 new monthly donors.

Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.

If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!

With gratitude and resolve,

Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy