Harris launches new Gaza campaign advert targeting Arab-American voters

Kamala Harris' presidential campaign has unleashed a new advert targeting Arab-American voters with clips of the vice-president saying she "will not be silent about human suffering in Gaza".

The advert is running on social media site Snapchat and Google and is reportedly targeting Arab-American voters in Michigan, and follows Republican campaign groups' efforts to highlight Harris’ support for Israel in the same area.

The 15-second clip runs with the tag "paid for by Harris for president" and is formed of archive footage of Harris speaking about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. It is titled "VP Harris will not be silent about human suffering in Gaza".

US outlet NBC News reported that the video marks the first paid-ad content on the Gaza war from the Democrat team who have orchestrated the ad’s promotion in crucial swing-state Michigan, home to large Arab-American and Muslim communities in cities such as Detroit and Dearborn.

In Dearborn, local leaders have been critical of the White House's approach to Gaza. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, represents a large swathe of the state. Tlaib is yet to voice support for Harris.

The advert opens with a clip of Harris saying, "I will not be silent about the scale of human suffering in Gaza", which has been taken from her address after meeting Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July.

The ad suggests a shift in the campaign's focus to win over groups who have been critical of Harris’ record during the eleven-month war, which has seen more than 130,000 Palestinians killed or injured and turned the enclave into a humanitarian disaster.

As vice-president, Harris has rarely swayed from President Biden’s unwavering support for Israel’s "right to defend itself", despite global concerns that its military could be committing war crimes in Gaza.

Harris has, however, spoken up about the large civilian death toll in Gaza. At a discussion with the National Association of Black Journalists this week, Harris said she believed that the war "has to end as soon as possible".

In a blow to the Democrat campaign on Thursday the 'Uncommitted' protest movement announced that they will not be endorsing Harris. It follows the movement’s refusal to back President Joe Biden in the primaries earlier this year.

The Uncommitted movement staged mass protest votes over Biden’s policy on the Gaza which has seen the president sign off billions of dollars of military aid packages and fail to pressure Israel to halt its aggressions.

Throughout the war, the Democrats have faced repeated criticism from some of its core voter base over its its failure to hold Israel to account, with the Israel-Gaza war becoming a key talking point.

In a statement the movement said Harris' "unwillingness to shift on unconditional weapons policy or to even make a clear campaign statement in support of upholding existing US and international human rights law has made it impossible for us to endorse her".

However, the movement's leaders did urge supporters to vote against Republican candidate Donald Trump.