Uncommitted delegates get a 'no' on their request for a Palestinian convention speaker
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.
CHICAGO — The uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention announced Wednesday night that their chief request was denied by Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign — to have a Palestinian American speak to the convention here.
The delegates, who were elected in Democratic primaries this year in protest of President Joe Biden's support for Israel's war in Gaza, have been signaling that they would commit to Harris if a Palestinian American was allowed to address the convention.
“I’ve been waiting for a call,” said Abbas Alawieh, a Michigan delegate and former congressional chief of staff who has acted as spokesperson of the delegates, holding up his cellphone 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.
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