CHICAGO — The uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention announced Wednesday night they were denied their chief requests from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign — to have a Palestinian American speak to the convention here.
The delegates, who were elected in Democratic primaries earlier this year in protest of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war Gaza, have been signaling they would commit to Harris if a Palestinian American was allowed to address the convention.
In twice-daily press conferences all week, they reiterated their request for a few minutes on the stage, insisting they were willing to work with organizers on preparing remarks and selecting a mutually acceptable speaker.
They said they were “encouraged” by the signals they were getting from Harris and DNC organizers, but had received no definitive answer — until the third night of the convention.
“I’ve been waiting for a call,” said Abbas Alawieh, a Michigan delegate and former congressional chief of staff who as acted as spokesperson of the delegates, holding up his cell phone as a prop. “They weren’t getting back to us, they weren’t getting back us, they weren’t getting back to us.”
Then, Alawieh said, a call came in Wednesday evening from an official he did not identify.
“The call said, ‘Abbas, the answer is no,’” he said.
The delegates said they plan to stay and sit outside the convention hall in the hope that organizers change their minds.
Spokespeople with the convention and the Harris campaign did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
There are only 30 uncommitted delegates out of nearly 4,700 gathered in the United Center, though they said that an addition 250 Harris delegates signed a letter supporting their demand for a ceasefire and arms embargo on Israel.
The delegates huddled together in a tearful embrace before announcing the news.
The decision could mark an inflection point for the delegates, who have so far kept their distance from the protesters outside the secure area and the occasional disruptions by non-delegate protesters inside the arena.
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