Democratic Convention Protests Highlight Israel-Palestine Conflict Divide

Outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, protesters are condemning Joe Biden and others for supporting what they call "genocide" in Gaza. Similar to the 1968 Democratic Convention protests, these demonstrators are not conservatives but liberals, echoing anti-war sentiments reminiscent of the Vietnam War era.

The main demand of the protests is a call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, which, according to the latest reports from the Palestinian health authorities, has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians. “Biden, Biden, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide,” protesters chanted outside the United Center on Monday. 

Some of the chants closely echoed the anti-Vietnam War protests, including the famous “The whole world is watching” chant. Some protestors broke away from the crowd on Monday and began tearing down parts of the outer perimeter security fence outside the DNC, causing new fencing to be installed outside the convention site early Tuesday. However, these protests have remained peaceful compared to the mass violence and riots during the 1968 convention, where hundreds of rioters and police were injured.

Polls show a minority but significant number of Democrats believe that Biden, who spoke Monday, and Harris are too supportive of Israel. The latest Economist/YouGov poll conducted from Aug. 11-13 found 26% of respondents believed Biden’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war has been “too supportive of Israel,” while 21% said Biden’s stance was “about right,” and 25% thought he was “not supportive enough.” Among Democrats, 40% said he’s been too supportive, with another 40% saying his support for Israel was either “about right” or “not supportive enough,” and 20% were unsure.

As for Harris, 27% of respondents said she was not supportive enough of Israel, while 13% said she was too supportive. Among Democrats, 39% said her stance was “about right,” 19% said she was too supportive, and 2% said she was not supportive enough.

Biden’s approval rating for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war remains low. The latest Harvard-Harris poll, conducted from July 26-28, showed 67% of respondents disapproved of Biden’s handling of the conflict, with 33% supporting it. In the RCP Average for his approval on the conflict, Biden has a similar -33.6% approval on the issue.

In his convention speech, Biden acknowledged the protests, saying, “A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.” He also expressed his support for a ceasefire in Gaza and efforts to prevent a wider war in the Middle East. Other speakers on Monday also voiced support for a ceasefire. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she supported Harris because she is “working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bring hostages home.”