CHICAGO: Though there are only a handful of them among thousands of delegates, the “Uncommitted Movement” delegates at the Democratic National Convention are among the most vocal.
The delegates plan to voice their discontent with the war in Gaza at the party’s convention this week in Chicago, during which Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination in the close race for the White House.
The 30 “Uncommitted Movement” delegates hail from eight different US states and claim to represent some 700,000 voters.
Though they welcomed the news of President Joe Biden dropping out of the race on July 21, they have met Harris’s subsequent ascension with caution and skepticism.
“The party needed change,” Minnesota delegate Asma Mohammed told AFP. “I don’t feel sad about someone who has unapologetically supported a genocidal regime in Israel.”
Mohammed came to Chicago hoping to see a renewed perspective within her party, but she said she is disappointed that the convention has no pro-Palestinian voices on the speaker list.
“I know she’s (Harris) more empathetic than Joe Biden, I’ve seen that,” Mohammed said. “But those words are not enough. That needs to be followed by policy.”
The Uncommitted Movement advocated for adding Tanya Hajj-Hassan to the speaker list, wanting the thousands of attendees to hear from a doctor who has treated victims of the conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas in Gaza.
However, all that has been permitted at the event so far is a panel at the nearby McCormick Center, outside the main venue. During the panel, the pediatrician described the horrors of war, bringing the audience to tears.
Among the speakers slated for the DNC are some relatives of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 when it sparked the conflict by attacking Israel, which also left 1,199 dead, according to an AFP tally based on official data.
“Why does it have to be one or the other?” asked Mohammed, who emphasized that more than 40,000 people have died in Gaza from Israel’s retaliation, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
For her, there is room to listen to both sides.
Jacob Schonberger, a 17-year-old delegate representing the state of Connecticut, is not part of the “Uncommitted Movement” but shares the sentiment. He arrived at the convention wearing buttons with slogans in support of Israel.
“I think it should be leadership’s decision... I have my personal beliefs, but I think that it’s important to have both sides,” he said.
In addition to the “Uncommitted Movement,” protests fomented outside the United Center, the venue for the convention, where hundreds of people chanted “Free Palestine!“
Inside the arena, some delegates covered their mouths as Biden gave his speech Monday night, a gesture made in protest of his response to the war in Gaza.
“We wanted to send the message that we don’t agree with what Biden has been doing,” said Sabrene Odeh, a delegate from Washington state.
While the DNC is underway, Biden’s Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is on a tour of the Middle East in a new attempt to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas.
Biden acknowledged the discontent with the death toll in Gaza during his speech Monday night.
That did not excite Yaz Kader, another Washington delegate.
“The fact is, he has been a president that has supported a genocide that Israel is committing,” he said.
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Pro-Palestine DNC delegates welcome Biden’s exit but side-eye Harris
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Pro-Palestine DNC delegates welcome Biden’s exit but side-eye Harris
US, Japan defense chiefs say China harming regional peace
- Japan’s top envoy: China ‘disseminating information that is completely contrary to the facts’ about the radar incident
TOKYO: Beijing’s actions are “not conducive to regional peace,” Japan’s defense minister and US counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday.
The December 6 radar incident came after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan that infuriated China.
It was followed this week by Chinese-Russian air patrols around Japan.
Hegseth and Shinjiro Koizumi “exchanged candid views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident,” the Japanese defense ministry said after the call.
They “expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China’s actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability,” the statement added.
Koizumi said on X that he told Hegseth that China was “disseminating information that is completely contrary to the facts” about the radar incident.
“However, Japan has made clear that it does not seek escalation and that we are responding calmly while making necessary rebuttals, and we are keeping the door open for dialogue,” Koizumi added.
Hegseth’s office said that they “discussed... China’s military activities” among other issues including “Japan’s efforts to increase its defense spending and strengthen its capabilities.”
“Secretary Hegseth and Defense Minister Koizumi reaffirmed the importance of the US-Japan Alliance and underscored their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific,” the US statement added.
‘Tactical exercises’
Takaichi had suggested on November 7 that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.
Last week, J-15 jets from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft that had scrambled in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan.
Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.
But China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday accused Japan of sending the jets “to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorization, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and... maliciously hype up the situation.”
On Tuesday two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country, Japan said.
Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.
A day later, Japan and the United States air forces conducted their own joint air drills, Tokyo said.
The “tactical exercises” over the Sea of Japan involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s, Tokyo said.
South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defense zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.
Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had organized drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans.”
Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.
The December 6 radar incident came after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan that infuriated China.
It was followed this week by Chinese-Russian air patrols around Japan.
Hegseth and Shinjiro Koizumi “exchanged candid views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident,” the Japanese defense ministry said after the call.
They “expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China’s actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability,” the statement added.
Koizumi said on X that he told Hegseth that China was “disseminating information that is completely contrary to the facts” about the radar incident.
“However, Japan has made clear that it does not seek escalation and that we are responding calmly while making necessary rebuttals, and we are keeping the door open for dialogue,” Koizumi added.
Hegseth’s office said that they “discussed... China’s military activities” among other issues including “Japan’s efforts to increase its defense spending and strengthen its capabilities.”
“Secretary Hegseth and Defense Minister Koizumi reaffirmed the importance of the US-Japan Alliance and underscored their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific,” the US statement added.
‘Tactical exercises’
Takaichi had suggested on November 7 that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.
Last week, J-15 jets from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft that had scrambled in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan.
Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.
But China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday accused Japan of sending the jets “to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorization, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and... maliciously hype up the situation.”
On Tuesday two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country, Japan said.
Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.
A day later, Japan and the United States air forces conducted their own joint air drills, Tokyo said.
The “tactical exercises” over the Sea of Japan involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s, Tokyo said.
South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defense zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.
Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had organized drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans.”
Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.
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