CHICAGO — On a day aimed at showcasing party unity and loyalty, Democrats might have had no better example to put forth than a last-minute afternoon panel on the most contentious issue in the party today: Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. 

The panel, which appeared on the schedule as an event at the public “DemPalooza Expo” but ended up getting getting the blessing of the DNC to be held inside the same space as the official caucuses, showcased emotional and painful stories from a pediatric surgeon who has been working in Gaza, a Democratic Party organizer who lost two family members in Gaza this week alone, and one of the organizers of the uncommitted movement. 

But while panelists argued persuasively for a change in U.S. policy, many of the speakers also said Kamala Harris deserved a chance to do more than President Joe Biden has done to bring about a ceasefire and positioned the issue as something that could bring the party together rather than divide it.

“We are here saying we need a kind of leadership from Kamala Harris that I know she’s capable of, that we have not seen in a generation,” said one of the panelists, former U.S. congressman Andy Levin. “And bring it. Bring it on.”

The panel was, at least in part, an achievement of the uncommitted movement — an effort to apply pressure to get the Democratic Party to shift its position on Israel and Gaza. Nearly a third of voters in Hawaii’s Democratic presidential primary cast their votes as uncommitted, and the state has one of the highest numbers of uncommitted delegates.

The Democratic Party is being tested, said Layla Elabed, one of the leaders of the uncommitted movement and the sister of U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib. 

“Will it rise from the occasion and stand for the values that it was built on — freedom, equality, justice — or will it remain silent in the face of unimaginable suffering?” Elabed said. “If we stand up and demand action, an arms embargo, a ceasefire, an end to war, we may have an opportunity to restore the soul of the Democratic Party and unite us under a big tent.” 

Though it wasn’t as big of a concession as allowing one of the panelists to address the full floor of the DNC — something the uncommitted movement has been pushing for — the panel was seen as a significant step forward. 

The Democratic Party has never given the Palestinian cause an official forum at any convention, said James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute. 

Zogby said the very presence of the panel was hugely significant for the movement and was something that Zogby took as an important message from the Harris campaign. 

Feeling positive about the forum wasn’t simply adopting a “glass half full,” attitude, Zogby said, emphasizing again that there had never been this type of event at a DNC. “We’ve never had a glass before.”

The unity around a cause and the desire for Palestinian rights to be embraced as part of a larger push for social justice by the Democratic Party was emphasized multiple times during the standing-room-only event. 

“She’s a Palestinian American,” Levin said, putting his arm around Democratic Party organizer Hala Hijazi. “I’m Jewish American. She’s a moderate — I’m a way out there progressive. And she is right. No one is going to divide us. We are going to win.” 

Several of Hawaii’s uncommitted delegates, who attended the panel, said they were not surprised by efforts to rally around Harris’ campaign even as the movement exerted pressure on her to take a firmer stance against the war. 

“None of us want to see another Trump presidency by any means, that’s for sure,” said Hawaii delegate Inga Gibson. “We voted with the Democratic Party our whole lives. But this is an issue where humanity is on the line. So we want more than anything to get behind Harris-Walz. But we need to see something change.” 

Outside McCormick Place and the United Center, thousands of people were on hand to condemn the Biden-Harris policies on Israel and Gaza, in an effort to make sure that change takes place.

Fatima Abed, one of six Hawaii delegates who are uncommitted to the Harris nomination over the conflict in Gaza said Monday morning that she hopes Harris will support a cease fire and an arms embargo. She said that it concerned her that a party committed to the care of mothers and children appears less sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians in a war zone.

“We just want to make it clear that the uncommitted movement is not against the Democratic movement,” Abed, who is Palestinian, said. “In fact, we are so Democratic that we want this to work. We’re here to support Kamala Harris by letting her know that this is what her constituents want, and this is what’s going to help her win those swing states. And that is why our movement is so important.”

Civil Beat politics editor Chad Blair contributed to this report.