On the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, current Vice President Kamala Harris turned to Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza in her acceptance speech for her party’s nomination for US president, drawing thunderous applause when she said the Palestinian people should live in dignity.

“Now is the time to conclude a hostage-taking and ceasefire agreement,” Harris said, stressing that she would always support Israel’s “right to self-defense” as a man in the audience repeatedly shouted “Freedom for Palestine!”

“What has happened in Gaza over the last ten months is devastating. So many innocent people have lost their lives. Desperate, hungry people are fleeing safety. Again and again. The scale of the suffering is heartbreaking,” she said.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war so that Israel is safe, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to dignity,” she said as the audience’s applause drowned out her further words.

Her statement was met with the loudest applause of the evening, which, if the DNC audience is any indicator, is a sign of strong U.S. public support for Palestinian human rights.

The activists wanted to have their own platform on the DNC stage to give Gaza a voice. However, the thunderous applause showed that there was a need to acknowledge the situation in Gaza and demand an end to the war.

In fact, several polls since the Gaza war began in October show that the majority of Americans and the vast majority of Democrats support a ceasefire in Gaza. This public opinion contrasts with the support of the Israeli war by US President Joe Biden, who has increased government arms sales over the past decade.

Protesters have been trying for months to get the U.S. government to change course on its support for the war. The convention gave activists an opportunity to reinforce their anti-war message while raising concerns that if the Democratic Party does not change its policy on supporting Israel, it could lose votes in key swing states, particularly Michigan, which has a large Arab and Muslim population.

On Wednesday evening, unaffiliated pro-Palestinian delegates were told they had been denied the right to speak at the congress, even though Israelis had taken to the stage to draw attention to the fact that their relatives were being held by armed Palestinian groups.

In response to the rejection, pro-Palestinian activists staged a sit-in near the entrance to the arena, chanting as attendees filed in and out. Several progressive elected officials, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, supported the move. On social media, Rashida Tlaib called the description of “joy” at the convention “a false narrative.”

Meanwhile, a group called “Muslim Women for Harris” announced its dissolution and withdrawal of support for the vice president.

At the end of the final night of the DNC, following Harris’ keynote speech, police in full riot gear lined the street across from the protesters, forming a barrier between them and the attendees.

Some DNC attendees expressed support as they passed, while others were hostile. One crossed the police line, gave the protesters the middle finger and shouted obscenities.

The human police barrier stretched over a five- to ten-minute walk, and police prevented anyone from getting to the other side, including journalists who wanted to interview protesters.

To interview a protester, The new Arab reached over a police officer’s shoulder with a phone to record the conversation while the protester behind the police line screamed into his phone.

Jinan, a pro-Palestinian activist from Maryland who uses only her first name, said she does not want Trump elected and would want to vote for Harris if she expanded her Gaza policy to include support for an arms embargo and a ceasefire.

“I’m here because Kamala hasn’t given me a reason to vote for her yet. I don’t want Trump to win, but I wish Kamala had given me a reason to vote for her. I haven’t seen one yet,” she said. TNA.

“Genocide is the red line for me,” she said. “We continue to use our tax dollars to fund genocide when we don’t even get help with health care, student loans and community support here.”