Uncommitted movement decries accusations that it was ‘bought’
A donation from a Democratic-aligned group is a sign, critics say, that it compromised its mission
Abbas Alawieh, a leader of pro-Palestinian “Uncommitted” delegates to the Democratic National Convention, conducts a sit-in outside the United Center, Chicago, Aug. 21, 2024 Photo by Ron Kampeas
By Lauren Markoe November 5, 2024
Divisions within the “uncommitted” movement of Democrats protesting the Biden administration’s approach to the war in Gaza burst into view on Election Day, after a news outlet that takes a hard line against Israel revealed that the movement had taken more than $400,000 from a group aligned with the Democratic Party.
About 700,000 voters cast “uncommitted” ballots in Democratic primaries this spring. Since Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the candidate at the top of the ticket, the movement has been focused on lobbying her to support an arms embargo against Israel, something she rejects.
In September, the Uncommitted National Movement declined to officially endorse Harris but advised its supporters to do nothing to help former President Donald Trump, including vote for a third party candidate. One of its co-founders, Abbas Alawieh, who was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, made clear last week he plans to vote for Harris, while the other, Layla Elabed, has said she is leaving the presidential line of her ballot blank.
The report Monday in the Middle East Eye exposed further conflicts between the main movement and a dissident spinoff calling itself Uncommitted Grassroots. The offshoot was formed by members who saw the decision not to endorse a third-party candidate as a capitulation to the Democratic establishment. On its website it says the movement cannot be “bought” and advises supporters to vote for a third party candidate who backs a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and an arms embargo against Israel.
The article cited federal campaign filings showing that the Uncommitted National Movement had received donations totalling $430,000 between March and May from a political action committee called the Movement Voter Project, and that the PAC does not support recipients of its donations from endorsing third-party candidates.
“The Democrats, they can buy a few individuals here and there, but they cannot buy the people,” Nidal Jaboor, a member of the steering committee for Uncommitted Grassroots, told the Middle East Eye. “They will not buy us.”
In a statement posted on X Monday, the Uncommitted National Movement called the article “unfounded and absurd.” It said Uncommitted was among 500 groups supported by the Movement Voter Project, and that the groups have “taken divergent paths on the election.”
“Uncommitted’s critics are now amplifying this baseless story,” the tweet said. “We are committed to engaging in principled, honest disagreements about strategy without engaging in misinformation, conspiracy or tearing each other apart.”
The statement continued: “Uncommitted leaders and delegates are voting in different ways, yet remain united in their mission to stop the endless flow of American weapons fueling Israel’s militarism.”
The public fight among Democrats critical of Harris came as both candidates vowed to end the war in Gaza, and tried to woo Jewish, Arab and Muslim voters with differing views toward Israel. Trump has tried, especially in the last days of the campaign, to court Arab American and Muslim voters with social posts promising peace in the Middle East, and by sending surrogates to meet with Arab American groups, despite the fact that he tried to ban immigration from Muslim majority countries when he was president, and has urged Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza.
One recent poll from the Council on American-Islamic Relations shows Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein, who garnered 1% of the vote nationally in 2016, running neck and neck with Harris among Muslim voters. Stein, who is Jewish, supports the arms embargo backed by the uncommitted movement, as well as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
