Pro-Palestinian advocates and lawmakers are calling for a Palestinian American to take the stage at the Democratic National Convention , especially because the parents of an American taken hostage by Hamas spoke on Wednesday.
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin spoke for eight minutes on Wednesday evening. Their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was taken hostage more than 10 months ago. The couple pleaded for the release of their son and the other hostages, saying it was “not a political issue.”
Hours before they took the stage, members of the progressive “Squad,” including Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and even actor Mark Ruffalo called on the DNC to include the testimony of a Palestinian American, in particularly a delegate from the uncommitted movement.
The uncommitted movement was created to protest the Biden-Harris administration’s policies and approach to the war in Gaza. Uncommitted delegates hope to use their presence at the DNC to pressure the administration into ending Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Bush, who just lost her primary election, shared during an outdoor rally on Wednesday that the DNC needs to take a step away from Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We are committed to fighting that right-wing, tyrannical, authoritarian, fascist, violent influence,” Bush said. “But this is the thing. We can’t run against the far-right Trump voting influences in our government and at the same time run toward far-right Netanyahu voting influences in Israel.”
In Tlaib’s home state of Michigan, nearly 100,000 voters chose to vote uncommitted in the Democratic primary when President Joe Biden was on the ticket. As a swing state, winning Michigan is extremely important to Democrats, and Tlaib, who holds a strong influence among Arab Americans, has used her power to push for a ceasefire in Gaza to save Palestinian lives.
“Why are you saying that Israeli children are more valuable than Palestinian children?” Tlaib asked the DNC on X. “Where is our shared humanity? Stop erasing Palestinians. We exist. We deserve to be heard.”
Bowman, who also his primary election after pro-Israel group AIPAC poured millions of dollars into campaigning against him, also took to X to share how the DNC should shine a light on Palestinian voices.
“We must commit to uplifting the shared humanity of all people & recognize that the loss of human life is always tragic, regardless of nationality, religion, or race. I’m calling on the DNC to live up to these values and invite Palestinian speakers to the convention,” Bowman wrote.
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Even Ruffalo, who has played a huge part in fundraising for the Harris campaign, said it was “only fair” for a Palestinian voice to be included.
"It is only fair that the 'uncommitted' group of Americans who represent the people that America’s bombs are killing en masse in Gaza too have their voices heard in what is turning out to be one of the most 'inclusive' DNC gatherings in history,” Ruffalo tweeted. “Bring us all in. Yes to Hostage Families! Yes to Arab Americans and ceasefire constituencies.”
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