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Arab-American organisers on Thursday are "shocked" that Democratic Party leadership rejected its request for a Palestinian-American speaker at the Democratic National Convention amid Israel's war in Gaza.
"We're shocked by the decision not to include a Palestinian American from the stage," Michigan "uncommitted" delegate Abbas Alawieh told The National.
The uncommitted voter movement began during the Democratic primary season, out of frustration with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris's stance after a deadly Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel and amid a growing civilian death toll in Gaza.
The movement requested that Democrats vote uncommitted or leave their ballots blank to show support for a ceasefire. More than 30 delegates went to the convention in Chicago, Illinois, to represent 700,000 people who voted uncommitted.
Those delegates asked the DNC to have a Palestinian-American voice, uncommitted delegate, Arab-American community member or doctor who worked in Gaza speak on stage to highlight the issue.
On Wednesday evening, Mr Alawieh said he was told by DNC organisers that it would not be allowed. He and other members held an overnight sit-in to press for the decision to be reversed.
"Of course, that request of ours, we felt was a very reasonable request, and it was actually our secondary request. Our primary request is for the Vice President and the President to stop sending weapons that are killing civilians," he said.
After the decision was announced, Democratic elected leaders, political organisations, actors and labour groups, as well as people who have family as hostages held in Gaza, issued calls for a Palestinian-American voice to be included on stage.
The parents of an American hostage held by militant groups in Gaza spoke on Wednesday, demanding the release of captives and an end to the war in Gaza.
Uncommitted delegates and Democrats said that in addition to the hostage parents, there should be a Palestinian American to speak on suffering and humanity.
"The scandal is that there are forces within Democratic Party leadership who do not want us to talk about Palestinian human rights, but that's not sustainable," Mr Alawieh said to reporters. "This is a watershed moment."
Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Greg Cesar, Ayanna Pressley were among those to express support for the movement after the DNC decision.
"I think that we've given them a lot of opportunities to engage in this process at the convention," Ian Sams, a senior campaign adviser for Ms Harris, told CNN. There was a Palestinians for Human Rights panel on Monday.
The decision frustrated many because Chicago is home to what is estimated as the largest Palestinian population in the US, and the city saw a young Palestinian-American boy murdered in an Islamophobic assault weeks after the Hamas attack.
"This has been a disastrous decision by the Democratic leadership to deny a bare minimum ask that we asked for weeks ago before the convention," organiser Layla Elabed said during the final night of the convention.
Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman, the first Muslim and Palestinian woman elected for office in the south-eastern state, was often named as a possible speaker. She has endorsed Ms Harris.
Mother Jones published a prepared text of what would have been Ms Romman's speech, had the DNC accepted the request. Ms Romman read her speech to a crowd outside the United Centre arena.
"For 320 days, we’ve stood together, demanding to enforce our laws on friend and foe alike to reach a ceasefire, end the killing of Palestinians, free all the Israeli and Palestinian hostages, and to begin the difficult work of building a path to collective peace and safety," the text read.
More than 40,200 people in Gaza have been killed, health officials say, as Israeli military operations continue and a humanitarian crisis worsens in the Palestinian enclave. "That's how we achieve a ceasefire," Mr Alawieh said to The National.
"We support a ceasefire, and we think the way to achieve a ceasefire is to stop sending weapons, and so that's where we are now," he said, referring to the group's demand for a US arms embargo on Israel.
Polls since December have shown a high majority of Democrats support a ceasefire. It is yet to be seen if the Harris campaign and DNC's decision could endanger voter support among Arab Americans.
The uncommitted movement has insisted that it is against Republican candidate Donald Trump but wants to meet Ms Harris or hear a plan from her about how she would handle Gaza.
"We're, of course, continuing to engage with the group and make sure that the Vice President's position on this issue is heard and that their voices are heard," Mr Sams said to CNN.
Organisers announced they set a deadline for Ms Harris to meet with them by September 15.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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