Gaza: Words are fine, but deeds decide peace

Israel's war on Gaza and constant attacks in this region loom large on the agenda of the Democratic National Convention convening today in Chicago to confirm Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as the party's nominees for president and vice president. The convention in hot and sultry August has become the summer’s most exciting event. In attendance are 5,000 delegates, 50,000 visitors, and 15,000 media folk, 12,000 volunteers, and tens of thousands of uninvited protesters.

Violence and the threat of all-out war in the distant Arab world has fuelled tensions and divisions within the Democratic Party and disruptive protests are expected in locations reserved for demonstrations and the forbidden avenues and streets leading to the United Centre sports stadium hosting the Democrats.

Nevertheless, there will be a false show of party unity with addresses by outgoing President Joe Biden, former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and ex-candidate Hillary Clinton who lost to Republican Trump in 2016. Harris will address the assembly on closing day, Thursday.

Among the peaceful protesters are organisations of US citizens of Arab and Muslim background. University students who took part in pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations and sit-ins could resist police intervention. They could be joined by the far left "March on the DNC 2024" which has a membership of 200 groups and asks supporters to "stand with Palestine" and "End US aid to Israel." This coalition castigates Democrats as capitalist exploiters and calls on grassroots organisations to take the fight for "exploited and oppressed people" to the convention.

The Poor People’s Army, which demands economic justice, has permission to rally at a park five kilometres from the convention venue and will be addressed by no-hope third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West, before marching towards the United Centre. Some members of this group have walked from the mid-July Republican Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 130 kilometres from Chicago.

The Associated Press quoted spokeswoman Cheri Honkala who said, "Poor and homeless people are being brutalized, with tents and encampments destroyed and bulldozed away, from San Francisco to Philadelphia to Gaza and the West Bank. These preventable human rights violations are being committed by Democratic and Republican leaders alike.” "Regardless of who the nominee is, we’re marching against the Democrats and their vicious policies that have allowed Israel to kill over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza,” Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression spokeswoman Fayaani Aboma Mijana told the Associated Press.

There could be clashes between leftists and rightist supporters of Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance confirmed at that party's convention.

The federal government has provided $50 million in funding for Chicago’s forces of law and order. More than 30,000 protesters could mass to condemn the Biden administration's total support for Israel at a time Gaza's fatalities have reached 40,000 and wounded 84,000. Convention organisers and the authorities are determined that this event does not follow the example of the 1968 Democratic Convention when widespread leftist anti-Vietnam war rallies were met with brutal repression by the Chicago police, the Illinois National Guard and other security agencies. Investigators later branded the crack down a "police riot." Disruption is also likely inside the convention hall. Among the 5,000 delegates 36 are from the Michigan-based disproportionately influential "uncommitted" movement launched during the primary elections to express opposition to Biden's embrace of Israel. This movement gained 100,000 votes in the Michigan primary and another 600,000 in other states. This amounted to a rejection of Biden in several key swing states – including Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - which will decide the presidential contest in the Electoral College.

Fearing boycotts of the November election and desertion to third party pro-Palestinian candidates, senior Democrats have held meetings with "uncommitted" leaders and their allies. Harris met with the Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, with the aim of clarifying her positions on Israel. Dearborn has the largest concentration of Arab-background voters in the US.

Before a recent rally near Detroit, Harris briefly courted "uncommitted" co-founders Abbas Alawieh and Layla Elabed who urged her to back an embargo of weapons shipments to Israel. While she listened to them, once news of the encounter leaked, her national security adviser Phil Gordon said she does not back an arms embargo.

Arab and Muslim-background US citizens are not alone in having a stake in the Harris-Walz partnership. The Jewish Democratic Council of America has bought $250,000 worth of ads urging Jewish voters in the seven battleground states to vote for Harris. A virtual event staged by “Jewish Women for Kamala Harris" attracted more than 30,000 participants. US-Israeli activist Alana Zeitchik said she was backing Harris as a leader who will push for ceasefire "that will free the hostages and alleviate the horrific suffering for Palestinians in Gaza," Haaretz reported. Hopefully this will happen well before the election.

Polls show that some 70 per cent of Democrats (and 35 per cent of Republicans) favour the impositions of conditions on military aid to Israel but the Biden administration - in which Harris still number two - has ignored its committed constituency and pumped billion of dollars worth of bombs, warplanes, and munitions into Israel's Gaza war while vetoing three UN Security Council resolutions for a ceasefire. International and domestic pressure compelled Biden to put forward a three-stage ceasefire proposal on May 31st. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu imposed conditions on his acceptance to draw out negotiations while Hamas agreed to its terms after conceding its central demand that the ceasefire should permanent from the outset.

While Harris supports the proposed deal and the release of hostages, she is not trusted by the anti-war camp because of her partnership with Biden. In attempt to alleviate concerns, her campaign said in an unconvincing statement. “She will continue to meet with leaders from Palestinian, Muslim, Israeli and Jewish communities, as she has throughout her vice presidency.” Words and meetings are fine, but deeds are demanded. These include urgent Biden-Harris implementation of the ceasefire and provision of massive existential aid to Gaza’s 2.3 million hungry, sick, and wounded Palestinians who risk death by living day by day.