As Democrats gather in Chicago this week to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential candidate, many will be thinking of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe facing Palestinians on the ground. There is a window of opportunity for Harris to declare her support for an immediate and permanent cease-fire and indicate that she will not repeat the same Israel and Palestine policy failures that this and previous administrations have made leading us to the horrifying and disastrous situation we find ourselves in now.
The recent deadly attack on a Gaza school sheltering nearly 6,000 displaced Palestinians reminded me of the three weeks I spent in Gaza at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis earlier this year. The degree of destruction, the leveling of neighborhoods, the targeting of schools and hospitals, and the unfathomable number of people killed, maimed and displaced have become persistent themes in the way this war has been prosecuted for more than 10 months. Nearly 100 people were killed in the most recent school bombing in Gaza city, marking the 17th time a school has been struck in just the last month.
Many of the local physicians and nurses I worked alongside have been abducted, wounded and some even killed. The testimony of international doctors who volunteered in Gaza is riddled with stories and images of children, women and the elderly malnourished from the lack of food, sick with communicable diseases from the scarcity of clean water and displaced many times over. Scattered on the floor of the hospitals are killed and injured patients from airstrikes, drone attacks and ground invasions. Many die waiting for medicine and supplies needed to save them that will never reach Gaza’s hospitals — with supply convoys queuing somewhere just outside Gaza’s borders, prevented from entering and reaching the most vulnerable.
Witnessing these horrifying scenes prompted many physicians to sign a letter to President Joe Biden last month, which pleads with him to use the power he has to stop the carnage. Despite the many efforts to get the Biden administration to change course, the flow of weapons to Israel has been a constant stream. The diplomatic cover provided by the U.S. has prompted the veto of several United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for a cease-fire, and any effort to create accountability or pressure has lacked any true political will. This is all despite the president admitting that Israel is engaged in “indiscriminate” bombing of civilians and has acknowledged that it’s reasonable to think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is extending the war so he can stay in power and avoid possible prison time for the corruption charges he’s facing.
For decades, successive U.S. administrations have provided unconditional support to Israel, despite its violations of international law and U.S. policies, which has emboldened the most extreme elements within Israel. A growing number of voters, including Republicans, independents and Democrats, are calling for a shift in U.S. policy toward a more balanced and principled approach that conditions military aid on Israel’s human rights record, in accordance with U.S. law. While many Democrats fear another Donald Trump presidency and are reluctant to indirectly support his reelection, they are deeply troubled by Biden’s disregard for Palestinian lives and his uncompromising and steadfast support for the ongoing bloodbath in Gaza. The uncommitted movement, which is more sizable than many appreciate, is closely monitoring Harris’ stance on Palestine, particularly regarding Gaza, to inform their decision.
Since Harris became the Democratic party’s nominee, it is abundantly clear that her campaign has made the effort to express more concern for the ongoing suffering of Palestinians — a stark contrast to Biden’s approach that often upset and frustrated voters sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians. However, the change in rhetoric has yet to be complemented with clear and concise policy changes.
With the humanitarian situation in Gaza spiraling out of control amid fears of communicable diseases such as polio and nowhere for 2 million displaced Palestinians to seek safety, there is a critical need for Biden to impose an immediate cease-fire. For her part, Harris has a unique chance to shift U.S. policy toward a values-based paradigm, which aligns with our democratic values and reflects how most Americans feel. This is the right course of action, both morally and sensibly, but it also holds significant electoral appeal, offering a path to garner widespread support across the political landscape.
Dr. Thaer Ahmad is an emergency medicine physician based in Chicago.
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