Protest vote Support for Harris held back until she halts 'funding of Gaza war'

The protest movement that sought to use the Democratic primaries to pressure Joe Biden to shift his policy on Israel and Gaza breathed a sigh of relief when he ended his bid for re-election, but they are not ready to promise support for Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

- Melissa Hellmann, Rachel Leingang

More than 700,000 Americans voted "uncommitted" in state primaries as a message to the US president that he risked losing significant support in November if he did not shift away from his support for Israel.

The movement has now turned its sights to putting pressure on Harris to shape a new course on Gaza policy. Its demands include an arms embargo on Israel and support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, according to health officials.

Uncommitted voters say their message to the White House is clear -stop funding Israel's war or lose our votes. "[Harris] could get my vote but it's going to be a difficult journey," said Fadel Nabilsi, a Palestinian American attorney who voted "uncommitted" in Michigan's Democratic primary.