Harris faces an ‘uncommitted’ quandary of her own
Protesters’ confrontational approach faces a new target.
DETROIT — Vice President Kamala Harris won’t be able to escape the protesters demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war that have dogged her and President Joe Biden for months.
Harris faced off with a small group of protesters at her rally Wednesday in Dearborn, Michigan, a scene that made clear that critics of U.S. policy in the Middle East are only partially satisfied with the change at the top of the Democratic ticket.
“It’s clear to us, through her statements and what’s been leaked and conversations with people behind the scenes, she does feel differently” from Biden, said Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of the Muslim advocacy organization Emgage. “But those are feelings. … What’s needed is an articulation of a policy vision that’s different from what we’ve seen so far.”
The persistence of the pro-Palestinian movement suggests it still has the capacity to do damage in swing states like Michigan, which has large populations of Arab American voters in cities like Dearborn and young voters who align with the movement.
Biden forcefully backed Israel after Hamas militants invaded on Oct. 7 and killed about 1,200 people. He later urged the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint in Gaza, and his administration has pushed for a cease-fire. But that has not satisfied critics who, at a minimum, want the U.S. to curb military support to the Jewish state.
Harris has appeared to take a more considered approach to the issue in her first days as a candidate — expressing openness to the community’s concerns but so far refusing to give in to its demands.
When it was Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Layla Elabed’s turn to take a photo with Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday before their Detroit campaign rally, she told the vice president her group wanted an Israeli arms embargo.
The persistence of the pro-Palestinian movement suggests it still has the capacity to do damage in swing states like Michigan, where Harris held a rally on Wednesday. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
But Elabed, who was invited by the Harris campaign to participate in the photo line, became emotional when she shook hands with the freshly minted candidates, breaking down crying as she explained that she is Palestinian and how devastating the conflict is for her personally. Elabed described Harris as “sympathetic” and walked away from the interaction with the impression that the vice president had agreed to sit down with her group to discuss a weapons embargo.
“I was thinking about folks in my community who I just talked to the day before. Two of the community members I talked to have both lost 100 family members, and so I told VP Harris about them,” Elabed, who is the sister of Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, said in an interview. “I said Michigan voters want to support you, but we need a policy change that will save lives.”
The episode underscored the political tightrope that Harris will need to walk on a sensitive issue that has deeply divided the Democratic Party, particularly among young and progressive voters in battlegrounds like Michigan. So far, no one from the Harris campaign has reached out to the group to schedule a meeting. And the White House moved quickly to make clear where the vice president stands, saying Thursday that Harris “does not support an arms embargo on Israel” and that she will ensure Israel can continue to defend itself while working to protect civilians in Gaza.
Her approach has left the movement, which sprung up in response to Israel’s military campaign against Hamas that killed thousands of civilians, at a crossroads. They must consider whether to continue with the more confrontational stance they took with Biden or to take a more behind-the-scenes approach with his vice president.
“We understand she’s in a tricky spot as the vice president to a president who controls foreign policy. But in a number areas, from foreign policy to immigration to economic policy — what is her plan for the country? And how does this plan differ from President Biden?” said Waleed Shahid, a progressive Democratic strategist.
A Harris campaign spokesperson said the vice president has prioritized engagement with Arab, Muslim and Palestinian community members since Oct. 7. And in the brief interaction with members of the “Uncommitted” group on Wednesday, “she affirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with those communities.”
“The Vice President has been clear: she will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. The Vice President is focused on securing the ceasefire and hostage deal currently on the table. 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,” the Harris campaign said in a statement.
While unclear how prevalent the pro-Palestianian protests will be in the run-up to November, tens of thousands are still planning to demonstrate outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later this month, where Harris will make her acceptance speech. College students will also return to campus in the weeks ahead — potentially bringing a return to the pro-Palestinian encampments and protests that rocked the nation this spring.
Harris had to face protesters up close during her Detroit rally on Wednesday night. In her response, she said that “everyone’s voice matters” in a democracy, but that she was speaking. The protesters didn’t stop, evoking a blunt rebuttal from Harris: “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking” — a shutdown that some activists have chafed at.
“I wish it would’ve been handled differently. It was a tough moment because our community members here in Michigan are dealing with a lot of grief. I know that the vice president is trying, and my hope is that Gov. Walz and her team will lean into that instinct of engaging,” said Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh.But some prominent Arab American leaders have urged activists to dial back their criticism, arguing that there’s renewed opportunity to make headway by working within the party to shape her approach to the war in Gaza. Harris’ exchange with protesters at her Detroit rally thrust the issue back into the fore, but they’re worried such disruptions may be counterproductive.
“Everyone knows, or should know, that she’s listening,” said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute and a longtime Democratic National Committee member. “There’s a way to make our point, and there’s a way to not make our point and end up having a backlash.”
Zogby acknowledged that those calling for Harris to get the benefit of the doubt are likely in the minority within a community wracked with “justifiable anger” over the war and the steadfast support for it from an administration that has included Harris. But he contended that Harris’ candidacy has given them their best shot at shifting U.S. policy, blasting those still pushing to hold large-scale protests at the Democratic convention as “infantile” and short-sighted.
“There are some who will want to manifest the anger just because it feels good, but it’s going to distract from what is really the concern,” he said. “Basically, don’t fuck it up.”
Even advocates planning to rally at the DNC this month have wrestled with these questions now that Harris is at the top of the ticket, said Hatem Abudayyeh, chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network and spokesperson for March on the DNC. But they ultimately came to the consensus that Harris is an extension of the Biden administration.
“It’s not gonna change anything for us. It’s full steam ahead,” Abudayyeh said. “And I think that the vast majority of the people who are going to participate in this thing recognize that — that she represents this administration and its policies around Palestine as well.”