The Democratic National Convention begins on Monday in Chicago, which is expected to be a celebration of Kamala Harris’s nomination as presidential candidate following Biden’s exit.
However, protests over the war in Gaza, led by Democrats from the party’s left, threaten to disrupt the unity message.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are expected near the convention site to show their opposition to President Biden’s policies towards Israel and Gaza, from which Ms Harris, his vice-president, has not deviated.
There will also be events organized by pro-Israel groups, including a “hostage square” to draw attention to the plight of those who remain in Hamas captivity. Relatives of hostages are also expected to attend the convention.
The four-day Democrat spectacle will culminate on Thursday with Ms Harris giving a primetime speech that will be watched by millions of Americans, fewer than three months before election day.
President Biden, the former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle and a list of actors and entertainers will give speeches at the United Center in Chicago.
It comes a little over a month after Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination in Milwaukee, just days after surviving an assassination attempt and as Democrats were in disarray over 81-year-old Mr Biden’s weakness as a candidate.
Since then the momentum of the race has shifted significantly, with Ms Harris’s entry to the race and her running-mate choice of Tim Walz, Minnesota’s governor, jolting enthusiasm and pushing them slightly ahead of Trump and his running mate JD Vance in national polls.
What remains unclear is how the Harris campaign and the Democratic Party will tackle policy towards Israel and the conflict in Gaza.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza intending to destroy Hamas after the group attacked southern Israel on 7 October. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 40,000 people have since been killed in the campaign in the strip.
Ms Harris has not released a clear policy on Gaza and Israel. She has, however, called for a ceasefire and for the respectful treatment of protesters at her rallies.
She also recently said “far too many” civilians had been killed but did not back a weapons embargo on Israel as some progressives have called for.
The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: BBC
