Vice President Kamala Harris tackled the angst within her own party over the conflict in Gaza head-on at a campaign rally in Detroit Wednesday night, moving quickly to shut down protests interrupting her event.
“Because we believe in democracy, everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now,” she said as a group of about eight women interrupted the event with pro-Palestinian messages.
As the shouting continued, Harris grew blunter, saying, “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”
The episode highlights how Harris is navigating the complex dynamics of the Israel-Hamas war on both the diplomatic level and a political one as she now leads the Democratic ticket.
The conflict in Gaza has proven to be a key issue for progressive and young voters as well as Arab American and Muslim communities. That includes those in the critical battleground state of Michigan, which is home to significant Arab American and Muslim communities including in cities like Dearborn.
Backstage in Detroit Wednesday, Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, briefly met in a photo line with the two leaders of the Uncommitted National Movement, an effort aimed at mobilizing voters during the Democratic primaries to show discontent with President Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict in Gaza.
Layla Elabed and Abbas Alawieh, the co-founders of the group, expressed to Harris and Walz their concerns about the US supplying weapons to Israel and the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to a statement from the group.
“The VP was receptive. I thanked her for the attention her staff is giving to our request for a meeting about an arms embargo. She thanked me for being there and for my work,” Alawieh, who is an “uncommitted” delegate to the Democratic National Convention, told CNN. “It feels fruitful; we’re hopeful that she will engage substantively with our request for an arms embargo that stops sending bombs to kill people we love.”
While the group is calling for a meeting, a source familiar with the conversation said Harris did not express openness to an arms embargo when she spoke with the group’s leaders on Wednesday.
“@VP has been clear: she will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups,” Harris’ national security adviser Phil Gordon posted on X Thursday. “She does not support an arms embargo on Israel. She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.”
A Harris campaign spokesperson said in the brief encounter that the vice president “reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage” with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members about the war in Gaza.
“The Vice President has been clear: she will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups,” the spokesperson said. “The Vice President is focused on securing the ceasefire and hostage deal currently on the table.”
“As she has said, it is time for this war to end in a way where: Israel is secure, hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination,” the spokesperson added.
Like Biden, Harris is confronting a political and diplomatic tightrope not entirely in her control. While the White House holds out hope for a hostage and ceasefire deal that would bring an end to fighting in Gaza and lower regional temperatures, the power to reach such an agreement rests with Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — neither of whom has given final sign-off.
American officials have grown frustrated that progress toward a deal appears stalled, despite what they say are only narrow differences between the two sides on paper. The recent assassination of a top Hamas leader in Tehran, believed to be conducted by the Israelis, further hampered progress toward an agreement.
That has left the US with diminishing options for bringing the humanitarian crisis to an end, despite the potential political fallout for Harris in November.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have pressed for the United States to wield pressure on Israel using arms sales and other assistance as leverage — decisions that, for now, are not Harris’ to make. While Biden has said he would withhold some weapons shipments to Israel, he has so far stopped short of major steps that would cut off American assistance to its ally.
“She’s Joe Biden’s vice president and right now, national security is being run out of the White House,” said Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, who attended Harris’ rally in Detroit on Wednesday and who has been outspoken about the necessity of addressing the Gaza issue head-on in her state.
“I think they want to see and understand that she cares, and what the Middle East strategy is going to be. And she is walking a very delicate line there. But I do believe that her understanding of this community and reach-out is critical,” Dingell told Kasie Hunt on “CNN This Morning.”
Biden has included Harris from the beginning in his dealings with Netanyahu, and she was present this week in the White House Situation Room for a meeting of top national security officials to discuss escalating Middle East tensions.
In substance, her positions have not been at odds with Biden’s. Behind the scenes, however, she has advocated for a more empathetic approach to the Palestinians and in public has sometimes struck a more forceful tone than Biden when discussing the situation in Gaza.
“We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent,” she said last month after meeting Netanyahu in Washington.
When she briefly spoke with Harris on Wednesday, Elabed broke down in tears and said, “Michigan voters want to support you, but we need a policy that will save lives in Gaza right now. I meet with community members every day in Michigan who are losing tens and hundreds of family members in Gaza. Right now, we need an arms embargo.”
The uncommitted movement has requested a meeting with Harris about their policy demands, as well as speaking time at the Democratic National Convention and language in the party platform supportive of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo on Israel.
The Listen to Michigan campaign launched an effort to urge Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in the state’s Democratic presidential primary. The effort mobilized more than 100,0000 people to cast “uncommitted” votes and won more than 57% of the vote in Dearborn, home to large Arab American and Muslim communities, to Biden’s 40%.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told CNN last week that he and other leaders in the Uncommitted movement were eager to hear more from Harris and cautiously optimistic with her at the top of the Democratic ticket.
“I’m hopeful that Vice President Harris will chart a new course,” Hammoud said. “I think if she’s able to chart a new course, there can be a meaningful conversation about what happened to the broader uncommitted movement come November.”
Assad Turfe, the chief deputy county executive of Wayne County who supported the uncommitted movement during Biden’s candidacy, told CNN Thursday he is now endorsing Harris, saying she “represents the true spirit of our nation and values.”
“As someone who has been closely monitoring the war in Gaza, I firmly believe we need a permanent ceasefire now. When making decisions, I rely on the information available, and right now, Vice President Harris gives us the best chance of achieving peace in that region moving forward,” Turfe said in a statement to CNN.
“Moreover, she provides communities of color with the best opportunities for creating success here in America.”
CNN’s Ali Main contributed to this report.