Michael Arria
Mondoweiss / July 23, 2023
In the wake of Joe Biden’s historic decision to step down, Palestine solidarity groups highlighting his complicity in the Gaza genocide and calling on Kamala Harris to embrace a permanent ceasefire and an end to U.S. weapons shipments to Israel.
In the wake of President Joe Biden’s historic decision to step down, Palestine solidarity groups and political organizations are highlighting his complicity in Israel’s genocide and calling on Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, to embrace a permanent ceasefire and an end to U.S. weapons shipments.
“Nothing will erase the fact that Biden’s legacy is—and always will be—genocide,” said US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action. “Over the past nine months, he has repeatedly funded, armed, and backed Israel’s mass slaughter of the Palestinian people. His actions have resulted in at least 186,000+ Palestinian people killed, which constitutes 8% of Gaza’s population.”
“It was not Biden’s failed debate that showed he is unfit to lead. It was the tens of thousands of bombs he sent to kill Palestinian families,” it continued. “It was his callous, dystopian disregard for Palestinian lives, as he ate an ice cream cone while speaking of a potential ceasefire that he took no action to make Israel agree to. It was his condemnation of thousands of student protesters on college campuses demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza.”
“We are relieved that President Biden has chosen to step aside given the urgent need to avert a second Trump presidency,” said IfNotNow. “If Vice President Harris is serious about winning, she must reflect the will of the majority of Democrats and Americans, including American Jews, by supporting a ceasefire, hostage exchange, and an offensive arms embargo on the Israeli military. We are heartened by reports that she pushed the Biden administration to call for a ceasefire and hope that she will work to end the genocidal assault on Gaza and towards genuine equality, justice, and safety for both Palestinians and Israelis. We vow to keep the pressure on her to do so.”
“For nine and a half months, President Biden has funded and armed the brutal Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, making the U.S. government directly complicit in the killing of at least 39,000 people, including over 15,000 children,” reads a statement from JVP Action. “Americans have watched in horror and outrage as Biden sent the Israeli government the weapons it used to wipe out entire generations of Palestinian families, to destroy hospitals, bakeries, schools, mosques, churches, universities, refugee camps, homes, and Gaza’s entire health care system and electricity and water grids. Biden’s unwavering support for this genocide has been morally unacceptable, politically unpopular, and played a significant role in making him unelectable by breaking down the coalition of support that helped him defeat Donald Trump in 2020. The tireless work of the movement for Palestinian freedom that has organized from the streets to the ballot box to demand a ceasefire and an end to this genocide has played a key role in bringing us to this moment.”
“The Democratic nominee must immediately change course by calling for an arms embargo on the Israeli government and establishing a foreign policy centered in human rights,” it continues.” Meanwhile, for the next six months, Biden will continue as the sitting president and remains responsible for ongoing U.S. complicity in the Israeli government’s atrocities. He and Congress must immediately stop the supply of military funds and weapons that the Israeli military is using to slaughter and starve Palestinians now.”
The Abandon Biden campaign condemned the administration’s Gaza policy and invited Harris to meet with them.
“Our demands remain unchanged: call for and pressure an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza,” said the group. “The new candidate must address these critical issues and break from the destructive legacy of the current administration.”
The Uncommitted Movement, which got half a million people to reject Biden over Gaza during the primaries and has a number of delegates at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, said was “crucial for Vice President Harris to take a clear stance against weapons for Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians.”
On a DNC strategy call Monday night, Uncommitted activists announced the launch of Not Another Bomb, a 4-week campaign calling on leaders at every level of government to embrace an arms embargo.
The push is kicking off on the day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Washington to address Congress, and the group is hoping to pressure DNC delegates to support the effort.
Organizers are also circulating a petition calling on Harris to back the move.
“Adopting an arms embargo against Israel’s assault on Gaza is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic move to defeat Trump and MAGA extremism. It is difficult for the Democratic candidate to champion democracy while arming Netanyahu’s authoritarian regime,” it reads. “Supporting Israel’s war on Gaza undermines our fight against MAGA extremism and contradicts our core values of human rights and justice. By taking a strong stand against Netanyahu’s authoritarian policies, the Biden-Harris administration can unify the Democratic Party and regain the trust of key voter bases, including young people, Arabs, and Muslims. This decisive action will reinforce the administration’s commitment to democracy and human rights, contrasting sharply with the far-right extremism embodied by Trump and his supporters. It sends a clear message that the Democratic Party stands for peace, justice, and the protection of all people, thereby strengthening the coalition needed to secure victory in the 2024 elections and beyond.”
Nearly every Democrat in Congress has already endorsed Harris, but Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is one of the only holdouts. Tlaib did put out a statement highlighting the need to end Israel’s genocide, calling for an open convention process, and saying she was looking forward to engaging with Harris on important issues.
“We are in unprecedented times but the demands of our constituents and people across the country remain the same: they want a President and government that is focused on saving lives, giving people the ability to thrive, and valuing the humanity of one another over bombs,” it reads.
Harris has consistently supported Israel throughout her political career and many are skeptical that she will alter course on the issue. However, some point to recent comments she’s made about the conflict and the advisors around her as a possible indication that she could embrace a slightly less hawkish foreign policy.
Michael Arria is the U.S. correspondent for Mondoweiss
