The Gaza war has divided California Democrats for months. Now, some of them are pushing the national party at the Chicago convention to support an arms embargo on Israel.
By Sameea Kamal
CalMatters
CHICAGO — What will Kamala Harris do about the Gaza war if she’s elected president? To some Californians watching, the best indicator might be what she’s doing now.
The vice president seemed to take a stronger stance against Israel’s military response since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 — calling for a ceasefire before President Joe Biden did and skipped Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress in July. After meeting him, she said she pressed him for a ceasefire and pledged not to stay silent about the humanitarian crisis.
But then came her shutdown of Pro-Palestinian protesters at a campaign rally this month in Michigan. And, perhaps most importantly, she declined to support an arms embargo on weapons sold to Israel.
The mixed messaging has had mixed reactions from those who oppose the war at this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where the issue has sprung up in various ways — a panel on Palestinian human rights, some delegates wearing black and white keffiyehs in solidarity, and an arms embargo banner unfurled during Biden’s speech Monday night.
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Kitzia Esteva, an organizer with the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance from San Francisco, said that they flew to Chicago because the plight of Palestinians intersects with a lot of important movements.
“The funding that goes to those things is in direct correlation to the funding we don’t receive for our communities, from things like healthcare, like access to reproductive care, like access to childcare,” they said.
“Yet we’re seeing billions upon billions of dollars going to killing and to literally breaking down the infrastructures of care that Palestinians have,” they said.
Esteva said Harris has a history of being pushed to support more progressive policies, including on climate issues: “I think all of those things didn’t happen because of the goodness of her heart or even her political leanings, but because we were a steady drum intervening and really pushing her to right side of history.”