The “Non-Aligned” movement, which seeks to change the Democratic Party’s stance on the Gaza war, announced Thursday that it is not ready to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, but urged voters not to support Republican nominee Donald Trump or third-party candidates who could help Trump win the November election.
During this spring’s Democratic primaries, the “Uncommitted” campaign rallied hundreds of thousands of voters to deny support to President Joe Biden unless he ended his near-total support for Israel’s aggression in Palestinian territory. When Biden passed the torch to Harris in July, leaders of the “non-aligned” publicly and privately urged his team to support a different U.S. strategy in the conflict, including halting the flow of American weapons to Israel.
Nearly two months later, “Vice President Harris’ reluctance to move to an absolute gun policy or even make a clear campaign statement in support of upholding existing US and international human rights law has made it impossible to support him,” leaders of Uncommitted. “, said in a carefully worded statement.
Many national security experts, including current and former U.S. officials, as well as independent human rights groups say Israel is using U.S. military support to violate US and global regulations intended to protect civilians and humanitarian work during wars. The Israeli army denies the charge. In a May report, the Biden administration recognized It is “reasonable to believe” that Israel has violated international law and US standards by using American weapons – yet did not significantly alter the continued flow of US troops into the country.
The “Non-Aligned” group “opposes the presidency of Donald Trump, whose agenda includes plans to accelerate the killing of Gaza while stepping up the crackdown on anti-war organizing,” the statement continued. Additionally, the group “does not recommend third-party voting in presidential elections, especially since third-party votes in key swing states could inadvertently help deliver a Trump presidency given our nation’s broken electoral college system.”
“Our organizing around the presidential election was never about supporting a particular candidate; it has always been about building a movement that saves lives,” the statement also states.
The announcement came after a Sept. 15 deadline set by “Uncommitted” organizers for Harris to meet with Americans whose loved ones have been killed in Gaza and negotiate an arms freeze to Israel. According to them, ending the flow of US arms is both legally necessary and necessary to pressure the Israelis to reach a cease-fire agreement. Harris describes such a deal as his top priority in the Middle East, saying it would end Palestinian suffering and bring home more than 100 prisoners from the Gaza-based Hamas militant group (including Americans) and enable lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Hamas began the current round of fighting with a gruesome October 7, 2023 attack inside Israel. killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli army killed at least 41,000 Palestinians after Gaza, most of them women and children. It has also destroyed most of the area’s housing and other infrastructure and displaced nearly all of its 2.2 million residents. As Gazans suffer from shortages of food and supplies such as medicine, most of the aid sent to them does not reach those in need, largely due to restrictions by Israel and humanitarian groups. say.
The United States is widely regarded as the most influential external actor in the conflict, as Israel’s most important military and diplomatic ally. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly slammed U.S.-led diplomacy toward a ceasefire, though Biden administration officials say Hamas also deserves much of the blame.
Weeks shy of the war’s one-year anniversary, the statement from “Uncommitted” conveyed both deep frustration with Harris and Biden and a commitment to demand change from Washington.
The message drew attention at the Democratic National Convention last month abandoned a request that a Palestinian-American speaker address the delegates. “The vice president’s campaign is courting Dick Cheney while sidelining disillusioned anti-war voices and forcing them to consider third-party options or sit out this important election,” the statement continued.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has spent months seeking support from student protesters, Muslim Americans and other communities that have been particularly vocal in their criticism of Biden’s Gaza policy. Meanwhile, the “Abandon Harris” coalition of war skeptics is by pushing voters are considering endorsing Stein and other candidates like Cornel West, arguing that it would send a stronger rebuke than advocacy within the Democratic Party.
Third-party advocates are particularly vocal in their attacks on Democrats who appeal directly to war opponents, including members From the “non-aligned” movement and progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.).
In a statement, “The Non-Aligned” highlighted Trump as saying that third-party candidates could take away Democratic votes in key swing states and his desire “intensify the crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism in the United States”
“We urge unaffiliated voters to register their anti-Trump votes and vote up and down the ballot,” the post reads.
Democratic opponents of current US policy on Gaza have faced fierce opposition from hardline pro-Israel forces such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has become a factor in the recent primaries of Cori Bush (D-Mo.). and Jamaal Bowman (DN.Y.). Noting this effect, the statement continues: “We remain focused on building a broad anti-war coalition both inside and outside the Democratic Party. Pro-war forces like AIPAC may want to drive us out of the Democratic Party, but we are here to stay.
Harris’ campaign appears to be courting opponents of the Gaza war in at least one key state: Michigan, home to the nation’s largest Arab-American community. On Wednesday evening, University of Pennsylvania researcher Andrew Arenge spotted A digital ad targeted to select areas in Michigan where the vice president talks about the pain of the Palestinians. Advocate for policy change to say that Harris must translate his rhetoric into clear plans for change.
