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I am disappointed to see that no Palestinian voice was invited to the stage. IIgnoring the Palestinians, not recognizing their suffering does not make the problem go awayit was an insensitive move and whether intended or not, it appeared to be a continuation of the collective punishmenent that they have had to live thru for the past 11 or so months (Actually this treatment of the Palestinians pre-dated october 7th). Empathy should not be reserved for one or some but extended to all people. Definitely a missed opportunity, and lost votes for this party. .

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I am voting for Harris. Absolutely. American female bodies need the Democrats to be in power to stop fascism.

Ever since reading about Rachel Corrie's death about 23 or 24 years ago I have been fervently committed to your cause. I am sick of hearing people split hairs about the precise definition of "genocide"==it if looks, smells, tastes, and has corpses like a genocide, it is a genocide.

Isreal supports Hamas! Why will people so rarely mention that?

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“A stage that welcomed the family of Israeli hostages (and frankly one that welcomed numerous anti-choice Republicans) should also welcome the families of Palestinians suffering a genocide.”

I’m excerpting this paragraph but first, as an American Jew, I want to stress my agreement with much of mr. Rashid’s post from Day 3 of the DNC, and appreciation for his and others’ (apparently peaceful) vigil outside the United Center to underscore their support for Gazans (and anti war Israelis, of which there are many—perhaps a majority of that population) under siege by the Netanyahu government and its military arm. I agree fully with the calls for cease fire, humanitarian aid and eventual trial of Israeli officials in the ICC (international court of criminal Justice, not sure of acronym) for what seems indeed a “genocide” under international rules of war.

But the excerpted paragraph draws at least one, perhaps two, false equivalences—between “anti-choice Republicans” and an Israeli hostage family, and between a single Israeli hostage family and “the families of Palestinians suffering a genocide.” It’s careless writing and imo borders on pandering.

Reproductive choice and arms shipments (by the US to Israel) are, firstly, not even sides of a single coin. One’s a domestic issue, the other international; one saves American women’s lives, one (I’m not happy about this but it’s true) props up a hideously overgrown American military provisioning industry which employs, I’ll wager, hundreds of thousands of Jewish, Muslim, Christian and atheist Americans, and makes money for civilians and enlisted folx alike. That’s what our Congress (BOTH parties folks!) is up to in approving arms shipments/sales to our “allies,” and it’s not like President Biden has gone AWOL as the rabble would like us to think. (In fact under a second Trump Presidency it would likely get worse UNLESS wethepeople miraculously also were to elect a 100% pacifist Congress haha not gonna happen). So, “red herring” Rashid.

As for inviting “the families of Palestinians,” etc. for ten minutes at the mic—come on. Which families? (How about a single such family group, if you truly think that would balance the humanitarian case made by the Israeli-American couple?) how would they divide their ten minutes? Would they speak for all bereaved Palestinian families? For Arab Israelis and mixed Palestinian families? For the families of humanitarian groups who have also lost loved ones in Gaza? And most of all, in this highly polarized moment in history, would they show the compassion for Israelis that was shown by the Israeli-American couple for Palestinian suffering?

It occurs to me that perhaps the DNC could have invited Rashida Tlaib or another Palestinian American ahead of time and slotted them in for ten minutes. (And perhaps they tried—I wasn’t privy to their preparations.) But seeing how the proceedings were already so overblown…I say let’s cut the DNC a modicum of slack rather than raising specious arguments that further politicize a sensitive subject. And let’s avoid both careless writing and careless thinking.

Shalom, salaam, peace.

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I am sure people in Gaza will find your view very comforting (NOT). What you say lacks historical perspective, not just about Palestine and Israel, but politics in the US, I.e. the corrupt national democratic and Republican Party organizations. The Democratic National Committee rules everything with the party. When Hillary Clinton was running, they were so gung-ho for her they dismissed, and even encumbered, the campaign of Bernie Sanders. It was in their control who were allowed to have a voice at the podium at the convention this year. CONTROL is the key word. They should change their name as they are not demonstrating democracy. The Republican National party has rendered their party to be controlled by Trump, oligarchs and fascists, none that uphold any regard for democracy. Old republicans I know are either disillusioned with what has happened to their party, or completely brainwashed by Trump’s maga movement. They should change their name to either the Maga party, or the American Fascist party.

So what I am saying is the US needs a viable alternative party that represents true democracy: that which leaves no one off the podium, except those who don’t want democracy.

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I’m assuming you listened to Kamala Harris express her views on Gaza last night during her acceptance speech and her intent of finding a solution to Palestinian autonomy and self-determination. It’s never enough for you, but it’s a damn far further that anything the R’s are saying.

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She & Biden can stop the threat of death and violence to *all* hostages, right now.

Right. Now.

They choose not too and tell us how much they "care" instead.

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I welcomed her mentioning Gaza in her speech, but according to what I understand she has no intent of really doing what really needs to be done: stopping sending our tax dollars or weapons to Netanyahu’s evil government that are being used to kill innocent people, EVEN AS SHE WAS SPEAKING! Just think of a child’s pain and suffering in taking their last breath, while their mother watches in horror, at the very same time Kamala was making what I consider a meaningless reference to the need for a cease fire. Is she better than Trump? Absolutely, but what to do you think that mother thinks?

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Dear Qasim.

I share your concerns and your viewpoint. As a Palestinian-American who’s lived in the USA since 1976, I’m all too familiar with the strong anti-Palestinian bias in every walk of American life. The recent 100-plus college demonstrations have raised public awareness regarding the evil and illegal occupation of Palestine by the Zionist state. Nevertheless and as you know the pro-Zionist bodies in the USA have worked hard to spread lies and misinformation to suppress popular opinion. At the same time AIPAC has spent millions to oppose and unseat members of Congress who won’t kiss Zionist 🫏.

I admire your efforts at exposing the above and campaigning for the truth. I’m with you all the way. However until and unless the AIPAC and Zionist chokeholds on Congress and public opinion are loosened, it’s a steep uphill battle. The Democratic Convention is just more of the same, as you point above. Nice words but once Kamala or the Orange Idiot move in to 1600 Pennsylvania next January we will back to “love Israel at any cost” again.

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It seems like the DNC is afraid of something. They need to wake up and put a Palestinian American on stage to speak to the tragedy going on there.

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Yes. A very, very glaring omission to the program. Please see Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romann's speech, that she has, as of the Mother Jones article on this subject, not been allowed to give to the Convention. It is a lovely speech and belongs in the Convention. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/dnc-speech-uncommitted-movement-harris-walz-ruwan-romman/?utm_source=mj-newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-newsletter-08-22-2024

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Aug 22Liked by Qasim Rashid

I agree. I hope the UAW will be able to help make this happen. It shouldn't have been necessary to push. It should have been natural, organic. As the Israeli dad said yesterday - it's not politics, it's humanity.

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Aug 22Liked by Qasim Rashid

Why haven’t Palestinians been allowed to speak at DNC? Our thoughts exactly! The rather brief comments some speakers have made expressing need for cease fire, and release of hostages, falls very short at addressing the tragedies suffered by Palestinian’s in Gaza due to Netanyahu and his Likud cronies. What about the “prisoners” held by Israel, many of whom are non-combatants and, thus, are really hostages. They, like those on October7th, have also suffered rape, abuse and torture! Democrats have to stand-up and shout about this!

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Yes we do. Our district captain invited me to a convention watch party. I asked if anyone would be at the party to speak the truth about Palestine. No answer. I offered to do it myself. Then I got the usual “Democrats must stick together” email. I told him never to come to my front door again.

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Good question,

but America after letting the flood of Zionists into the Palestinian Lands,

still doesn’t Recognize a Palestinian State and of Course waiting for the day when all the Palestinians are eliminated by Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide !

Let us also Wait and See !

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Israeli must be better humans than Palestinians ???

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That's how Israel must think ???

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Possibly the most shallow and uninformed thing I’ve read all month.

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I don’t understand your comment.

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Machine “Democrats” are afraid of AIPAC, the spineless cowards.

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Absolutely! Where are the Pro-Palestinian PACs?

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There aren’t any. The Gulf states could spend $ billions but because they’re in power only because of Uncle Sam they won’t do anything. They’re vain and corrupt traitors.

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Aug 22Liked by Qasim Rashid

Palestinian Americans absolutely deserve a voice at the DNC. Palestinians are getting hit from both sides & suffering tremendous losses.

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This bothers me a lot. And it makes no sense to me. Why does an otherwise compassionate and wise administration continue to show patience with Netanyahu? Who benefits? Cut arms and end the genocide. THEN we can worry about protecting Israel from its neighbors if that's really necessary. Israel can no longer point to its history to support its position. They are turning their history into a joke by refusing to abide by the lessons they should have learned from it. If I am wrong, nobody has bothered to tell me why.

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Aug 22·edited Aug 22Liked by Qasim Rashid

Thanks for this reporting, Qasim, and thanks for joining the many sincere calls on the DNC to welcome Palestinian Americans to join other Americans who speak at the convention and share facts and viewpoints with millions in America and around the world.

I cannot help but remember and be grateful for the observations of the late Edward W Said. He bemoaned the fact that, as with other groups of people, in America and in the world, the sort of discrimination in evidence in at the DNC and in regard to public comments from Palestinian Americans is evidence of a broader, humanly disgraceful discrimination out of fear that is aimed at quieting and thereby making invisible the lives and interests of Palestinians.

The fear that drives this is the discriminators' fear of having personal opinion undermined by the other human beings. It is based on the fraudulent assumption that disagreements do not inform but weaken another person's self-understanding. How can it be that some Americans are self-convinced that it is personally dangerous or threatening to learn from others what the current social and political conditions and cultural norms actually do to dispossess these others of lawful protections and of essential personal and social resources for living?

Those accountable for the discrimination at the DNC will learn the hard lesson that to exclude Palestinian Americans today will alienate many other Americans who otherwise would stand with the Democrats in this election. Not only in this election but in supporting constitutional governance, all Americans must be respected, encouraged to speak candidly and publicly and encouraged to have the constitutional protections and responsibilities for improving civil society governance.

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Thank you for a marvelously written comment. I wish we could put it in front of every elected official in the USA. Edward Said is one of my heroes.

QASIM - please distribute the comment above as widely as you can.

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Hello and thank you for your reply.

I have so much gratitude for Edward Said's work.

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Yes. The Palestinian question may be a deciding factor in this election, which apparently will be decided by a small margin of voters in swing states, including the Uncommitted vote. A constituency which applauded Oprah's reference to saving a cat of a childless cat-lady can certainly appropriately handle the presence and speech advocating for Palestinians.

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Aug 22Liked by Qasim Rashid

The suffering of the Palestinians must be addressed! The humanitarian crisis must be addressed! They don’t have to use the word genocide(which it is), but the needs must be acknowledged!

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