Quick Hit:

Pro-Palestinian influencers have intensified their social media campaigns against Vice President Kamala Harris, urging her to adopt a tougher stance on Israel as the presidential race.

Key Details:

• Influencer Ahmed Eldin, with 1.1 million followers, has consistently criticized Harris's support for Israel on social media.
• Influencers like Rosy Pirani have shifted their content focus to the Gaza conflict, significantly increasing their followings.
• The online campaigns are pressuring Harris to distance herself from Biden’s policies on Israel, appealing to young voters disillusioned with the administration's stance.

Diving Deeper:

According to the Wall Street Journal, within hours of President Biden announcing his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, pro-Palestinian influencers mobilized online to pressure Harris into adopting a more critical stance on Israel. Leading the charge is Ahmed Eldin, a former journalist of Palestinian descent, who took to Instagram to highlight Harris’s past affiliations with Israeli leaders, urging his 1.1 million followers to intensify their scrutiny of her positions.

Eldin's Instagram feed has since been dominated by content condemning Harris's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, accusing her of complicity in the violence against Gaza. This is part of a broader movement by pro-Palestinian influencers who have used social media to rally young voters and others disillusioned by the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel.

The October 7 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, which left 1,200 people dead, triggered a fierce military response from Israel, resulting in the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. The online discourse, shaped heavily by influencers, contrasts sharply with the Biden administration’s narrative, highlighting the suffering of Gaza’s civilians and pushing for a tougher line against Israel.

Rosy Pirani, another prominent pro-Palestinian influencer, has seen her following on Instagram triple since she began focusing on the Gaza conflict. A lifelong Democrat of South Asian descent, Pirani was once known for her lighthearted content. However, her recent posts have taken on a more serious tone, sharing graphic images from Gaza and calling out Harris and Biden for their perceived inaction.

As the Democratic Party’s convention takes place in Chicago, Harris finds herself in a difficult position. While she has called for a cease-fire and criticized Israel’s actions, her continued support for Israel’s right to defend itself, in line with Biden’s policies, has not gone unnoticed by pro-Palestinian activists.

The influence of social media in shaping public opinion, particularly among younger Americans, has become undeniable. A Pew Research Center survey found that people under 30 are almost as likely to trust social media as they are national news outlets. This shift in trust, coupled with the raw, emotional content shared by influencers, has created a formidable challenge for Harris and the Democratic Party as they navigate the 2024 election.

Pro-Palestinian influencers like Eldin and Pirani are determined to keep the pressure on, ensuring that Harris’s stance on Israel remains a focal point of her campaign. As Rahma Zein, another influential voice in the pro-Palestinian community, stated, “Social media is showing you what’s happening on the ground…. You can no longer ignore it.”