‘Uncommitted’ leaders demand Harris back Israel weapons embargo for endorsement

Dearborn — Michigan’s “uncommitted” campaign leaders alongside pro-Palestinian proponents made a call on Wednesday to Vice President Kamala Harris to explicate her position on a ceasefire in Gaza in order for them to make a decision to back the Democratic presidential nominee in the upcoming Nov. 5 election.

The uncommitted movement, which was initially formed to press President Joe Biden into withdrawing his support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, has garnered quite a bit of traction in the state when it urged Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in the presidential primaries. The war so far has resulted in the death of over 39,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza authorities, after Hamas launched an invasion into Israel on Oct. 7, leading to 1,200 fatalities and about 300 kidnappings.

Call for Ceasefire and Arms Embargo

Uncommitted movement’s leaders stated the urgent need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza alongside an embargo on American armaments sent to Israel. The group pointed out the necessity to rally in November against the former Republican President Donald Trump, a well-known supporter of Israel.

“We need to see her articulate and differentiate her own policy from Donald Trump’s and we want to know what her policy is outwardly different from the disastrous policy that we’ve seen unfold over the last nine months,” said Abbas Alawieh, a co-founder of the uncommitted movement in Michigan.

Republican Vice Presidential Nominee’s Visit to Michigan

JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee and an Ohio U.S. senator, also made a campaign stop on Wednesday in Macomb County, known as a stronghold for Trump. In Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary election in February, Biden won comfortably with over 70% support, while ‘uncommitted’ managed to secure 13%. However, in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, and Hamtramck, the uncommitted movement managed to outdo Biden.

A Meeting with Harris

Movement leaders expressed their desire for a meeting with Harris and her senior policy team in Wednesday’s press conference. Alawieh, who is an uncommitted delegate to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) due in the later part of this month, clearly stated that the uncommitted movement would not be supporting Harris for presidency unless she “(tells) us where she stands on Gaza and on the issue of weapons transfers specifically, so that we know what message we can take back to the voters that we mobilize here in Michigan.”

DNC and Pro-Palestinian Advocates

The uncommitted movement plans to send 30 delegates to the DNC slated for Aug. 19-22, according to its leadership. Jewish leaders in Metro Detroit have argued that pro-Palestinian advocates have not applied the war criminal label to Yahya Sinwar, a top official of Hamas, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks on civilians.

The ‘Not Another Bomb’ Campaign

Zeidan highlighted the campaign ‘Not Another Bomb’, which calls for the Biden-Harris administration to bring an end to weapons funding for Israel. “The ‘Not Another Bomb’ campaign is offering an opportunity for us to uplift the message that we want our tax dollars to no longer fund genocide, that we want our tax dollars to fund housing, (water, healthcare, schools, education, and infrastructure). … We do not want our tax dollars to fund 502,000-pound bombs that are being sent to mass murder innocent Palestinians,” Zeidan said.

Hoping for Harris’ Action

“We welcome Vice President Harris to Michigan and we hope that she hears Michigan’s clear request that we stop arming people who are killing ones we love,” Alawieh ventured. “And I also want to be very clear that… what the uncommitted national movement is saying is that if Vice President Harris embraces an arms embargo, we will drop everything we’re doing and endorse Vice President Harris, and make sure that we proactively encourage the voters who have believed in this movement to vote for Vice President Harris, even through our pain.”