SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement, speaks at a press conference in Dearborn, Michigan on February 28, 2024.
(Photo: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
'Why Are You Saying No?' Uncommitted Co-Founder Asks Harris to Meet With Americans With Family in Gaza and Lebanon
"If you're going to continue sending weapons aimed at our family members, say it to our faces," said Abbas Alawieh.
Oct 02, 2024
The co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement said Wednesday that U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris—the 2024 Democratic nominee—have "repeatedly" declined requests to meet with Americans with family members living under U.S.-backed Israeli assaults in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
"If you're going to continue sending weapons aimed at our family members, say it to our faces," Abbas Alawieh, who lives in Michigan but has family in Lebanon, wrote on social media, linking to a clip of his Wednesday appearance on CNN.
In that interview, Alawieh said it is a "simple ask" for Harris to meet with people whose families are impacted by U.S. support for Israel's deadly military campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza, both of which have been ravaged by American-made weaponry. Harris has said she opposes calls for an arms embargo—one of the factors the Uncommitted National Movement cited last when it announced in a nuanced statement last month that it would not endorse the vice president.
"There are tangible steps that Harris can take right now to build with this community that the Democratic Party has abandoned, has betrayed, in order for us to reengage these voters," said Alawieh. "It requires looking them in the face as you send weapons to kill their family members."
"Vice President Harris, why won't you sit down with Lebanese Americans and Palestinian Americans who have family in Gaza?" he continued. "We've asked repeatedly. Why are you saying no? I would recommend that as a first step to coming into this community and asking them for their vote."
Watch:
Why won’t Vice President Harris meet with Palestinian and Lebanese American families impacted by US-supplied Israeli bombs? #NotAnotherBomb pic.twitter.com/HUROhkaFQh
— Uncommitted National Movement 🌺 (@uncommittedmvmt) October 2, 2024
Alawieh's remarks came amid mounting fears that the Biden administration's unwavering support for the Israeli military's wars on Gaza and Lebanon is damaging Harris' hopes of winning the key battleground state of Michigan, which has a large Arab and Muslim population.
Alawieh, who served at the Democratic National Convention as an uncommitted delegate from Michigan, told CNN that he is "very concerned about Michigan specifically, and we have made the campaign offer after offer: come out with a statement talking about your commitment to international human rights."
"They've refused," he continued. "One ask that we specifically made, and I will reiterate it now for President Biden and for Vice President Harris: The Uncommitted Movement has asked them repeatedly, and people all across our country are asking them not only to stop sending weapons, but we've repeatedly asked that they meet with Americans who have family members experiencing the terror of American bombs right now."
Alawieh said that while his family "at this moment is physically safe to the extent that they can be," he is receiving messages "asking that we choose nice photos of them for their death notices should they become among the over a thousand civilians that the Israeli military has killed using U.S. bombs."
"I'm working with everything that I've got as a Democrat, as someone who worked on Capitol Hill for a long time, worked closely with President Biden's team, with Vice President Harris's team, to urge them to choose a different approach that saves my family's lives," said Alawieh. "That approach would require stopping the sending of weapons that are harming and killing civilians. It's really, really urgent."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement said Wednesday that U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris—the 2024 Democratic nominee—have "repeatedly" declined requests to meet with Americans with family members living under U.S.-backed Israeli assaults in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
"If you're going to continue sending weapons aimed at our family members, say it to our faces," Abbas Alawieh, who lives in Michigan but has family in Lebanon, wrote on social media, linking to a clip of his Wednesday appearance on CNN.
In that interview, Alawieh said it is a "simple ask" for Harris to meet with people whose families are impacted by U.S. support for Israel's deadly military campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza, both of which have been ravaged by American-made weaponry. Harris has said she opposes calls for an arms embargo—one of the factors the Uncommitted National Movement cited last when it announced in a nuanced statement last month that it would not endorse the vice president.
"There are tangible steps that Harris can take right now to build with this community that the Democratic Party has abandoned, has betrayed, in order for us to reengage these voters," said Alawieh. "It requires looking them in the face as you send weapons to kill their family members."
"Vice President Harris, why won't you sit down with Lebanese Americans and Palestinian Americans who have family in Gaza?" he continued. "We've asked repeatedly. Why are you saying no? I would recommend that as a first step to coming into this community and asking them for their vote."
Watch:
Why won’t Vice President Harris meet with Palestinian and Lebanese American families impacted by US-supplied Israeli bombs? #NotAnotherBomb pic.twitter.com/HUROhkaFQh
— Uncommitted National Movement 🌺 (@uncommittedmvmt) October 2, 2024
Alawieh's remarks came amid mounting fears that the Biden administration's unwavering support for the Israeli military's wars on Gaza and Lebanon is damaging Harris' hopes of winning the key battleground state of Michigan, which has a large Arab and Muslim population.
Alawieh, who served at the Democratic National Convention as an uncommitted delegate from Michigan, told CNN that he is "very concerned about Michigan specifically, and we have made the campaign offer after offer: come out with a statement talking about your commitment to international human rights."
"They've refused," he continued. "One ask that we specifically made, and I will reiterate it now for President Biden and for Vice President Harris: The Uncommitted Movement has asked them repeatedly, and people all across our country are asking them not only to stop sending weapons, but we've repeatedly asked that they meet with Americans who have family members experiencing the terror of American bombs right now."
Alawieh said that while his family "at this moment is physically safe to the extent that they can be," he is receiving messages "asking that we choose nice photos of them for their death notices should they become among the over a thousand civilians that the Israeli military has killed using U.S. bombs."
"I'm working with everything that I've got as a Democrat, as someone who worked on Capitol Hill for a long time, worked closely with President Biden's team, with Vice President Harris's team, to urge them to choose a different approach that saves my family's lives," said Alawieh. "That approach would require stopping the sending of weapons that are harming and killing civilians. It's really, really urgent."
The co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement said Wednesday that U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris—the 2024 Democratic nominee—have "repeatedly" declined requests to meet with Americans with family members living under U.S.-backed Israeli assaults in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
"If you're going to continue sending weapons aimed at our family members, say it to our faces," Abbas Alawieh, who lives in Michigan but has family in Lebanon, wrote on social media, linking to a clip of his Wednesday appearance on CNN.
In that interview, Alawieh said it is a "simple ask" for Harris to meet with people whose families are impacted by U.S. support for Israel's deadly military campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza, both of which have been ravaged by American-made weaponry. Harris has said she opposes calls for an arms embargo—one of the factors the Uncommitted National Movement cited last when it announced in a nuanced statement last month that it would not endorse the vice president.
"There are tangible steps that Harris can take right now to build with this community that the Democratic Party has abandoned, has betrayed, in order for us to reengage these voters," said Alawieh. "It requires looking them in the face as you send weapons to kill their family members."
"Vice President Harris, why won't you sit down with Lebanese Americans and Palestinian Americans who have family in Gaza?" he continued. "We've asked repeatedly. Why are you saying no? I would recommend that as a first step to coming into this community and asking them for their vote."
Watch:
Why won’t Vice President Harris meet with Palestinian and Lebanese American families impacted by US-supplied Israeli bombs? #NotAnotherBomb pic.twitter.com/HUROhkaFQh
— Uncommitted National Movement 🌺 (@uncommittedmvmt) October 2, 2024
Alawieh's remarks came amid mounting fears that the Biden administration's unwavering support for the Israeli military's wars on Gaza and Lebanon is damaging Harris' hopes of winning the key battleground state of Michigan, which has a large Arab and Muslim population.
Alawieh, who served at the Democratic National Convention as an uncommitted delegate from Michigan, told CNN that he is "very concerned about Michigan specifically, and we have made the campaign offer after offer: come out with a statement talking about your commitment to international human rights."
"They've refused," he continued. "One ask that we specifically made, and I will reiterate it now for President Biden and for Vice President Harris: The Uncommitted Movement has asked them repeatedly, and people all across our country are asking them not only to stop sending weapons, but we've repeatedly asked that they meet with Americans who have family members experiencing the terror of American bombs right now."
Alawieh said that while his family "at this moment is physically safe to the extent that they can be," he is receiving messages "asking that we choose nice photos of them for their death notices should they become among the over a thousand civilians that the Israeli military has killed using U.S. bombs."
"I'm working with everything that I've got as a Democrat, as someone who worked on Capitol Hill for a long time, worked closely with President Biden's team, with Vice President Harris's team, to urge them to choose a different approach that saves my family's lives," said Alawieh. "That approach would require stopping the sending of weapons that are harming and killing civilians. It's really, really urgent."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.