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Anti-Israel DNC Protests Flop, Far Fewer Agitators Show Up Than Expected
People hold signs and flags in support of Palestinians in Gaza as demonstrators rally on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, US, Aug. 19, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Far fewer protesters showed up to anti-Israel demonstrations outside of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago this week than expected, according to reports.
Only a few thousand demonstrators showed up to the “March on the DNC 2024,” falling far short of organizers’ expected turnout of 30,000 to 40,000 people.
Reporters covering the DNC, where the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee will be announced this week, shared pictures of large piles of unclaimed signs sitting on the ground. The signs read “Victory to the Palestinian Resistance” and “End US Aid to Israel!”
The pile of unclaimed signs at the pro Palestine protest/march on the DNC an hour after it began. Organizers were hoping for 30-40k. The crowd is maybe 1/10th of that size? Crowd covering less than half this 3 softball field sized park. pic.twitter.com/Ba3agQvmfU
— Cameron Joseph (@cam_joseph) August 19, 2024
The majority of anti-Israel protesters outside the DNC marched “peacefully,” according to reports. However, some activists breached the outer security perimeter of the conference, which was being held in the United Center. The police scuffled with the agitators and repelled them from the premises.
“At no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any of the protectees,” the Chicago Police Department posted on X/Twitter.
Rally participants bellowed chants accusing US President Joe Biden and his vice president, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, of supporting a so-called “genocide” in Gaza. Protesters are demanding that the US government cease all aid to Israel and freeze weapons transfers to the Jewish state.
Some demonstrators suggest that Biden’s decision not to run for re-election has mollified many pro-Palestinian voices. After ending his presidential campaign, Biden immediately endorsed Harris for president.
“If it was still Biden, I think there would be a lot more people out here. It’s a very different attitude. I think people are hoping against hope that she’ll do the right thing,” a protester told the Christian Science Monitor, referring to Harris.
“We were hoping that there’d be more,” another protester added.
In the months following Hamas’ slaughter of 1,200 people and abduction of some 250 hostages throughout southern Israel on Oct. 7, protesters have marched across the US to demand a ceasefire between the Jewish state and the Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza. Many of these protesters have openly celebrated the Oct. 7 massacre and praised Hamas as the “Palestinian resistance” to Israel.
Since the launch of her presidential campaign, Harris has expressed empathy toward anti-Israel activists in an apparent attempt to curry favor with younger and progressive Democrats. However, she is reportedly opposed to imposing an arms embargo on America’s closest ally in the Middle East and the only democracy in the region.
Harris skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the US Congress in July to attend a sorority convention, raising doubts about her support for the Jewish state. After holding a private meeting with Netanyahu, Harris vowed to “not be silent” about civilian casualties in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where for the past 10 months Israel has been waging a military campaign to free the hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7 and dismantle the terrorist group’s military and governing capabilities.
Prior to an August campaign event in Michigan, Harris met with members of the “Uncommitted National Movement” — an initiative which encouraged voters to withhold support from Biden in protest of his backing of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The Harris campaign denied reports that she agreed to meet with Uncommitted leaders to discuss a potential arms embargo against Israel.
Harris also reportedly arranged a secret meeting with Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, the state with the largest Arab population in the US. Hammoud has repeatedly condemned Israel’s military operations in Gaza, accusing the Jewish state of committing a “genocide” in Gaza and an “ethnic cleansing” in the West Bank.
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French Official Tells Paper Arab Countries Will Condemn Hamas, Trying to Get Palestinian Statehood Recognized
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks to the media on the day he attends the European Union Foreign Ministers council in Brussels, Belgium, July 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman
Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament early next week at a United Nations ministerial event in New York, a move meant to lure more European countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, France’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
In an exclusive interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said the move was part of a long-planned initiative between France and Saudi Arabia.
“For the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will seal its definitive isolation. European countries will in turn confirm their intention to recognize the State of Palestine. Half of European countries have done so, all others are considering it,” Barrot told the JDD.
“The British Prime Minister has stated his intention to do so. Germany is considering it at a later stage. We will launch an appeal in New York for other countries to join us in order to set in motion an even more ambitious and demanding process that will culminate on September 21,” Barrot added.
On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would formally recognize the state of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and Israel.
Earlier on Saturday Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni called it counterproductive to recognize a Palestinian state before it is established.
On Friday a German government spokesperson said there were no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.
At the upcoming United Nations event on Monday and Tuesday, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lay out a proposed post-war roadmap leading to a two-state solution covering security, reconstruction and governance, which will be compatible with the Abraham Accords negotiated by US President Trump, Barrot said.
The French minister added that in coming weeks the European Commission would take a tougher stance on Israel and demand a stop on building of any new settlement projects in the West Bank, and also an end to militarized policing of humanitarian aid distribution.
Barrot also called on fellow European countries to demand a removal of the financial blockade on the Palestinian authority so it can receive 2 billion euros he said it is owed.
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Jordan and UAE Drop Aid Into Gaza in First Airdrop in Months, Jordanian Source Says
An airplane drops humanitarian aid over Gaza as seen from northern Gaza Strip July 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday in their first airdrop in months, a Jordanian official source said.
The official said the air drops were not a substitute for delivery by land.
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Trump Says Israel Will Have to Decide on Next Steps in Gaza, Pledges More Aid
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. Photo: Kevin Lamarque via Reuters Connect.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday Israel would have to make a decision on next steps in Gaza, adding that he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with the Hamas terrorist group.
Trump underscored the importance of securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saying they had suddenly “hardened” up on the issue, and said the US would provide more aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
“They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision,” Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland.
“I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say it. But Israel is going to have to make a decision,” he said, while also claiming, without evidence, that Hamas members were stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear that the Palestinian group did not want a deal.
Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling “alternative” options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave.
Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be “hunted down,” telling reporters: “Hamas really didn’t want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it’s very bad. And it got to be to a point where you’re going to have to finish the job.”
US TO PROVIDE MORE AID, TRUMP SAYS
Trump on Sunday said the US would provide more humanitarian aid to Gaza, where concerns are mounting about the worsening hunger, but wanted other countries to participate as well. He said he would discuss the issue with von der Leyen.
“We’re giving a lot of money, a lot of food, a lot of everything,” he said. “If we weren’t there, I think people would have starved, frankly. They would have starved, and it’s not like they’re eating well.”
He said he had spoken with Netanyahu and discussed a number of issues, including Iran. He said and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would also discuss Israel when they meet at Trump’s golf property in Turnberry on Monday.
Trump also noted said the United States was not acknowledged for earlier food aid for Gaza.
“No other country gave anything,” he said, calling out European countries in particular. “It makes you feel a little bad when you do that and, you know, you have other countries not giving anything… Nobody gave but us. And nobody said, Gee, thank you very much. And it would be nice to have at least a thank you.”
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