Kamala Harris’ Brief Meeting With ‘Uncommitted’ Leaders Yields Tears, Taunts and New Hope

While some Arab American leaders view Harris’ openness to their cause as a positive, her response to anti-war protesters at her rally turned them off.

Kamala Harris
Anti-war protesters interrupted Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Michigan. Carlos Osorio/AP

Until a month ago, Arab American voters were convinced they were reaching a dead end with President Joe Biden as they pleaded with him to end the war in Gaza.

But with Kamala Harris now at the top of the ticket, there’s new hope for a reset.

On Wednesday night, ahead of a rally in Detroit, Harris met briefly with two Arab American leaders of the “uncommitted” movement, Abbas Alawieh and Layla Elabed. The duo pleaded with her for a longer meeting to discuss arms restrictions on Israel and the larger situation in Gaza. And while Harris didn’t immediately commit to that meeting, the leaders said they were grateful to Harris in a statement released shortly after their brief encounter.