Uncommitted delegates urge Harris to impose arms embargo on Israel

WASHINGTON

The Uncommitted National Movement (UNM) on Thursday called on US Vice President Kamala Harris to halt arms shipments to Israel amid its ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

"Harris’ biggest applause line of the night was on Palestinian freedom. Let’s go get an arms embargo," the UNM posted on X.

The demand followed Harris’s acceptance of the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination on the final night of the four-day Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois.

During her speech, Harris called for a cease-fire and a deal for the release of hostages in Gaza.

Stressing Israel’s right to defend itself, she said: "What has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost, desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking."

Harris added that she and President Joe Biden are working to end the war "in a way that ensures Israel’s security, secures the release of hostages, ends the suffering in Gaza, and allows the Palestinian people to realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination."

Earlier, the UNM criticized the Democratic Party for rejecting their demand to have a Palestinian American speaker on the final day of the convention.

"There are forces in the Democratic leadership who do not want us to talk about Palestinian human rights. But we will. This is a watershed moment. People all over are saying: Free Palestine!" the movement stated.

The UNM delegates later entered the convention arena hand in hand to take their seats.

"We must keep up the pressure on VP Harris to take action to ensure #NotAnotherBomb. Join tens of thousands who’ve sent a message to her: turn the page on the disastrous Biden-Harris Gaza policy, save lives, stop the bombs, and unite the party," they demanded.

Israel has continued its offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The offensive has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and nearly 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.