Chicago: Around the same time that Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz were being endorsed as official candidates at the Democratic Party’s national convention in Chicago on Tuesday, several pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago, resulting in at least half a dozen arrests. The party continues to face challenges over its stance on the Gaza war.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC), where party leadership sidestepped concerns about the war in Gaza, remains under pressure from activists gathering in Chicago to confront President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Harris over their administration’s support for Israel.
“This (the war in Gaza) is (Joe) Biden’s baby, he made a big mistake to get involved. (Benjamin) Netanyahu took advantage of the situation and went way too far and Biden chickened out,” a protester who asked not to be identified told ThePrint.
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The protester added: “He (Biden) really messed up getting involved with Netanyahu, and Netanyahu is killing children with our money… I don’t like seeing hospitals, schools and children being murdered with American money.”
At the protests organized by the group Behind Enemy Lines, demonstrators shouted slogans against the Democratic Party, compared it to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) – a white supremacist, far-right hate group – and chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a slogan that some circles described as anti-Semitic.
The protests began peacefully, but eventually protesters marched toward the police line to cross the street. However, they were pushed back by police in riot gear and some people were arrested. An American flag was burned by protesters, while another, which appeared to be the US flag with a Star of David, was also set on fire.
Protesters demanded the withdrawal of US support for Israel over its actions in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an offensive that killed around 1,150 Israelis and took about 250 people hostage.
Tel Aviv’s retaliation left more than 40,000 Palestinians dead and devastated large parts of the Gaza Strip. Israel’s response has sparked protests across the United States over the past ten months, and pro-Palestine demonstrations have taken place in every major city.
American universities became the focus of protests after Columbia University called police to break up pro-Palestinian camps in May of this year. These actions set the stage for numerous college campuses to follow suit with similar protests, with over 1,000 protesters arrested at the time.
The protests and growing public support for the Palestinian cause have divided the Democratic Party.
Protesters called Biden “Genocide Joe” and Harris “Killer Kamala” because of the continued US military support for Tel Aviv. As the protests progressed, numerous left-wing groups – labor, racial justice and anti-war groups – also supported the protest marches.
Over 3,000 People turned out in support of ending the war in Gaza at a march on Monday near the site of the Democratic National Convention. The challenges to the party that controls the White House and the U.S. Senate come not only from the left but also from pro-Israel groups.
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“Support for Israel must not become partisan”
Early Tuesday, a pop-up art exhibition organized by the Israel American Council (IAC) was held near the venue of the Democratic National Convention, not far from the Israeli consulate, to raise awareness of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The IAC was the only pro-Israel group to formally request a public gathering near the Democratic National Convention, but it was rejected by city authorities.
“We had Israeli and American artists create art installations inspired by October 7 and the hostages still being held… We had originally applied for a permit to assemble near the United Center (the DNC venue), but our application was denied on the grounds that it would interfere with other planned activities around the arena,” Aya Shechter, IAC’s program director, told ThePrint.
Shechter added: “Of course we fear that Israel will become a partisan issue, and we don’t want that. We want the Republican Party to stand with Israel, we want the Democratic Party to stand with Israel.”
The pop art exhibition was attended by over 1,000 people on Tuesday and took place in a private space rented by the IAC. It was called “Hostage Square” and resembled the art installations in Tel Aviv.
Fears among pro-Israel support groups that the longstanding alliance could become a partisan issue point to major divisions within the Democratic Party and raise the question: Can the Harris-Walz campaign team unite both sides of the Gaza war?
In recent days, the Biden administration has been desperately trying to ensure that its ceasefire agreement, which the president first announced in May, comes to fruition in the next few days. US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken concluded his ninth visit to the region on Tuesday to underscore Washington’s urgency to reach a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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