OPINION: I’m a proud Israeli Jew. Of course a Palestinian should have spoken at the DNC
...but it's not hard to see why it didn't happen at either the Democrats or Republican gatherings
Hen Mazzig is a former lieutenant in the Coordination of Government Activities in the Terrorities. He shares his story with campuses and Jewish communities around the world.
After the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli American held in Hamas captivity for the past ten months, spoke at the Democratic National Convention this week, a question arose online: why couldn’t a Palestinian speak, too?
Before diving into why I believe it would have been a powerful decision to include a Palestinian voice, let’s first acknowledge the reasons why this idea was, understandably, dismissed.
The main group advocating for a Palestinian speaker was Undecided, a campaign urging registered Democrats to vote “undecided” in the primaries rather than reelecting Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee. The goal? To spotlight the growing dissatisfaction among Democratic voters. They sought to demonstrate the potential impact of the Free Palestine movement in crucial swing states like Michigan, where elections are often decided by the thinnest of margins and can sway the entire national race.
In essence, Undecided was designed to undermine Biden’s reelection chances against Donald Trump—an agenda not typically embraced by the DNC, which is a platform for unifying support behind the party’s nominee.
Furthermore, the Free Palestine movement has, at times, weaponized antisemitic imagery, slogans, and even physical violence, openly supporting terror organizations like Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah. Whether or not the leaders of Undecided endorse these groups is irrelevant as long as they refuse to denounce the extremist elements within their movement.
In stark contrast, Hersh’s parents were champions of the Bring Them Home movement, an initiative dedicated to the safe return of hostages. Their approach has been relentless yet inclusive, engaging even those politicians with whom they have deep disagreements, such as AOC and Ilhan Omar, to further their cause.
These divergent strategies have yielded predictably different outcomes. The Bring Them Home movement now enjoys bipartisan support and featured speakers at both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Meanwhile, the Free Palestine movement was absent from both stages, though the DNC did host a panel on the Palestinian cause, buried in the daytime schedule and left untelevised.
It’s telling that calls for a Palestinian speaker grew increasingly strident following the heartfelt reception given to Hersh’s parents. The convention hall erupted into chants of “bring them home,” moving his mother to tears onstage—a moment of collective Jewish grief and humanity that some could not tolerate.
Yet, as I listened to Vice President Harris deliver her compelling acceptance speech, I couldn’t shake the thought of how powerful it would have been, despite everything, to platform a pro-peace Palestinian voice at such a significant, star-studded event.
Harris herself has acknowledged that while the tactics of the pro-Palestine movement are misguided, the emotions driving it are rooted in genuine suffering. The people of Gaza are enduring unimaginable hardships: hunger, displacement, inadequate healthcare, and the constant trauma of war. Tragically, their plight has been hijacked by a movement that supports the very terrorists—Hamas—who bear responsibility for their suffering.
This decision would not have appeased the extremists, and I’m not so naive as to think otherwise. But elevating one of the courageous Palestinian peace activists, who risk their lives to speak out against Hamas, could have profoundly redirected the emotions of countless young Democrats.
It could have shown them that they have a place in a movement that many of us have been striving to build—a movement for peace that recognizes and honours the humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians. We missed an opportunity to demonstrate that true solidarity doesn’t choose sides but seeks justice and dignity for all. And in this deeply divided world, that’s the kind of message we can’t afford to overlook.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
