Chicago, Illinois – United States President Joe Biden’s send-off speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was often interrupted by adoring chants of “Thank you, Joe.”
But outside the convention halls on Monday, thousands of protesters held signs accusing Biden of war crimes and referring to him as “Genocide Joe” in response to his support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
Biden paid a nod to the protesters in his address, saying that they “have a point”.
“A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides,” he said.
“We’re working around the clock, my secretary of state, to prevent a wider war and reunite hostages with their families and surge humanitarian health and food assistance into Gaza now to end the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people and finally, finally, finally deliver a ceasefire and end this war.”
For many Palestinian rights supporters, though, Biden’s statement fell short of the change they seek, especially as Washington continues to provide Israel with the weapons and bombs that are killing dozens of Palestinians daily.
To Sabrene Odeh, an “uncommitted” delegate from Washington state, Biden’s words were not enough to allay her concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“What’s going to be enough is an arms embargo [on Israel] and a ceasefire,” Odeh told Al Jazeera after the first night of the convention.
“To be quite honest with you, Biden has given us nothing but empty words for the last 10 months,” she said. “Words are not enough any more from President Biden. We need to see action.”
Odeh added that it was “illogical” for Biden to call for a ceasefire while arming Israel.
It is “impossible to advocate for a permanent, immediate ceasefire and send those same perpetrators of the genocide arms to continue” the war, she said.
Other activists echoed her concerns. Eva Borgwardt, a national spokesperson for IfNotNow, a youth-led, progressive Jewish group, also called out Biden’s remarks, referencing the apparent contradiction between his words and deeds.
“It’s deeply disingenuous for President Biden to say that the protesters ‘have a point’ after approving $20bn in weapons sales to Israel just last week. President Biden cannot claim to be ‘working around the clock’ for a ceasefire while sending fighter jets to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to continue the war,” Borgwardt told Al Jazeera in a statement.
Biden’s speech on Monday capped the first night of the convention, a four-day event designed to celebrate and promote the candidacy of the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, ahead of November’s election.
But the atrocities in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, are looming over the event’s party-like atmosphere.
There are dozens of “uncommitted” delegates at the convention, elected by the hundreds of thousands of Americans who cast protest votes in the Democratic primaries to show opposition to Biden’s backing of Israel.
‘Misleading’
Jonathan Simonds, a 29-year-old uncommitted delegate from Hawaii, told Al Jazeera on Monday that more and more young Americans are outraged by US support for Israel.
Simonds, like other supporters of the “uncommitted” movement, explained he is in Chicago to demand a ceasefire and US arms embargo against Israel.
“The thing that we can do is we can stop sending the bombs. We can stop sending weapons,” he said.
Biden and Harris have acknowledged that anger at various points in the presidential campaign. After meeting with Netanyahu in July, for instance, Harris pledged not to be “silent” in the face of Palestinian “suffering”.
“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies,” she said in a July 25 news briefing.
But experts say that the Democrats may ignore the antiwar protesters at their own peril. If Harris alienates younger voters and progressives, it could cost her the presidential race.
Hanieh Jodat, a political strategist, explained that Biden’s remarks on Monday are likely to fall flat, as they failed to quash the criticisms he and Harris have faced.
“The actions of this administration are a glaring contradiction to Biden’s claims on stage about addressing the genocide in Gaza. Just days after approving a $20bn arms deal to Israel — fuelling the very violence he condemned — he stood before us, speaking of peace and humanitarian efforts,” Jodat told Al Jazeera.
“This disconnect between his rhetoric and reality is not just misleading. It’s dangerous.”
The Biden administration has blocked three United Nations Security Council draft resolutions that would have called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The US also approved $14bn in additional military aid to Israel.
While Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East to advance a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, Palestinian rights advocates say the US should pressure Israel to stop bombing Gaza immediately.
Hatem Abudayyeh, spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, which has been organising protests around the convention, said Biden’s comments represent a “slight shift” in narrative due to pressure from activists.
“But at the same time, we don’t think he’s trying to end the war on the Palestinian people of Gaza because if he were, it would be very easy: Demand that Israel stop the genocide now, and if it doesn’t, implement an arms embargo and stop sending all aid and weapons,” Abudayyeh told Al Jazeera.
“We’re tired of him and Kamala both only paying lip service to stopping Israel’s terrorism against our people.”
Gaza at the convention
Large-scale antiwar demonstrations are scheduled through the end of the convention on Thursday when Harris will accept the Democratic nomination.
Inside the convention halls, the “uncommitted” movement is also pushing for a Palestinian American leader to address delegates from the main stage.
Already, on Monday, at least two speakers at the convention mentioned Gaza other than Biden.
Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who accused Israel of genocide earlier this year, said Harris is “working tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza”.
Senator Raphael Warnock referenced Palestinians and Israelis while calling for compassion and empathy.
“I need my neighbours’ children to be OK, so my children will be OK,” he said. “I need the poor children of Israel and the poor children of Gaza, I need Israelis and Palestinians — those in the Congo, those in Haiti, those in Ukraine — I need Americans on both sides of the track to be OK because we are all God’s children.”
Still, Palestinian rights advocates say the issue of US support for Israel will extend beyond the convention — and even beyond the November elections. The issue, they emphasise, is not about votes. It’s about Palestinian lives.
