2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has a plan to win back the votes of Muslim and Arab voters after her administration’s pro-Israel stance resulted in the loss of their support.
The Vice President suggested she was “open” to discussing an arms embargo on Israel in exchange for “uncommitted” Muslim and Arab votes in Michigan after pro-terrorism advocates demanded she call for a ceasefire in Gaza before they endorse her for president.
Pro-Palestine voters, or the Uncommitted National Movement, refused to back President Joe Biden when he was still in the running for a second term over his support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. During the Michigan primary, they successfully got more than 100,000 voters to withhold their votes from Biden by checking “uncommitted” on the ballot.
Before her rally in Detroit, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke briefly with the co-founders of the Uncommitted National Movement, which mobilized tens of thousands of voters in Michigan to withhold their votes from President Biden in the primary earlier this year over his support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Abbas Alawieh and Layla Elabed said they were in the welcoming line for Harris and Governor Walz, and communicated to Harris that they wanted to support her but that voters wanted her to consider an arms embargo to immediately stop the carnage in the besieged enclave.
Harris listened to stories of people in Michigan who have had dozens of family members killed in Gaza. The leaders asked to meet with her about the embargo request, and she indicated she was open to it, and introduced the two leaders to her staff. Via The New York Times.
However, the Harris campaign denied this, saying that she wouldn’t be discussing an arms embargo with Israel.
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“Since October 7, the vice president has prioritized engaging with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members and others regarding the war in Gaza,” Harris’ campaign said in a statement. “In this brief engagement, she reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with those communities. As she has said, it is time for this war to end in a way where Israel is secure, hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”
During her Wednesday rally, Harris was ambushed by pro-terrorism hecklers, chanting “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide. We won’t vote for genocide.”
Protesters chant “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide. We won’t vote for genocide.”
— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) August 8, 2024
They get escorted out
Others try to drown it out
Harris also said: “if you want Trump to win, say that otherwise I’m speaking” pic.twitter.com/1C54Vw9srj
In Detroit, after protestors for the Palestinian cause disrupted her speech for a second time, Vice-President Kamala Harris says:
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 8, 2024
“You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that, otherwise I’m speaking.”
When the protestors had disrupted her speech moments… pic.twitter.com/d25rr6iWSk
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