Harris’ action on Gaza sways undecided voters now

The protest movement that sought to use the Democratic primaries to pressure  to shift his policy on  breathed a sigh of relief when he ended his bid for re-election. But they’re not ready to promise they’ll support , the presumptive Democratic nominee.

More than 700,000 Americans voted “uncommitted”, or its equivalent, in state primaries as a message to Biden that he risked losing significant support in November if he did not shift away from his support for Israel. As next month’s Democratic national convention inches closer, the movement has turned its sights to pressuring Harris to shape a new course on Gaza policy. Its  of Harris include an arms embargo on Israel and support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, where more than  have been killed since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas, according to health officials.

Uncommitted voters say that their message to the White House is clear: stop funding Israel’s war, or lose our votes.

“[Harris] could get my vote, but it’s going to be a difficult journey. We actually need to see action,” said Fadel Nabilsi, a Palestinian American attorney who voted uncommitted in Michigan’s Democratic primary. Biden won the swing state, where 278,000 Arab Americans live, by just 154,000 votes in 2020. “You need to get on the same page with all of us,” Nabilsi said, “if you’d like to get our support and our backing.”

Harris has spoken more forcefully about Palestinian suffering than her boss, and in remarks on Thursday after meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, she used sharp terms to call for a ceasefire and the protection of Palestinian civilians.