Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris said she's willing to meet with activists to discuss an arms embargo against Israel, according to a pro-Palestinian, anti-war group.
The Uncommitted National Movement said Wednesday that two of its founders spoke with Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, at their campaign rally in Detroit to share concerns that the U.S. is "supplying weapons for Israel's war and occupation against Palestine," reported Newsweek.
They also requested a meeting with Harris to discuss an arms embargo and a permanent cease-fire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
"The vice president shared her sympathies and expressed an openness to a meeting with the Uncommitted leaders to discuss an arms embargo," the organization claimed in a statement.
A Harris campaign spokesperson, responding to the comment, said that the conversation between the vice president and the Uncommitted founders was a "brief engagement" and added that her campaign "will continue to engage with those communities."
According to reports, Layla Elabed, a Palestinian and a co-founder for Uncommitted, cried and told Harris that Michigan voters want to back her, "But we need a policy that will save lives in Gaza right now."
"I meet with community members every day in Michigan who are losing tens and hundreds of family members in Gaza," she told Harris. "Right now, we need an arms embargo."
Abbas Alawieh, another of the group's founders, told the vice president that he's a DNC delegate, but "our voters need to see you turn a new page on Gaza policy that includes embracing an arms embargo to save lives."
Earlier this year, the group organized more than 100,000 voters to withhold votes from President Joe Biden in Michigan's primary to oppose the U.S. government's support of Israel.
They marked a box labeled "uncommitted" rather than voting for Biden. The president still took the win with 81% of the state's votes.
Harris has often spoken out about the humanitarian situation in Gaza but has also reiterated that she believes Israel has a right to defend itself.
Meanwhile, Act Now to Stop War and End Racism have said they will continue with protests planned at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this month.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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