1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I’m writing to you because tonight, after weeks of negotiations, the Harris-Walz campaign refused the simplest of demands: to allow a Palestinian-American to speak from the stage of the Democratic National Convention. The Uncommitted movement, alongside Palestinian elected officials and human rights organizations, has provided the party with dozens of names of potential speakers – from elected officials to healthcare workers. The DNC has platformed a border patrol officer and an anti-choice Republican, yet refuses to grant five minutes to a Palestinian-American Democratic speaker. Silencing Palestinian voices sits in direct opposition to the Democratic Party’s values. Rather than be a party of inclusion, tonight, they chose to exclude a critical voice. Vice President Harris must unite the Democratic Party with a vision that fights for everyone, including Palestinians. This is a necessary step to live up to the values of our party and unite our fractured base. Biden’s policy toward Gaza has been an unparalleled disaster. Over 40,000 Palestinians – 16,000 of them children – have been killed by the Israeli military with US weapons. The overwhelming majority of Democratic voters have been clear: we demand a ceasefire and an arms embargo NOW. The Harris-Walz campaign has an opportunity right now to show that they actually will make room for Palestinians in this party. One bare minimum step would be to invite a Palestinian voice to speak from the mainstage. We are demanding that the U.S. stop sending the bombs and weapons that are slaughtering Palestinian families, and that Palestinian voices be heard and treated as equal within this party. I am urging you as my representative to tell the DNC to #LetPalestineSpeak.