Some voters from key states like North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania say they want to see a public commitment from Vice President Kamala Harris about taking action against Israel’s war in Gaza before deciding to vote for her.

Halah Ahmad: ‘Nothing feels right about these elections’ the Palestinian-American from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, told CNN, describing the regular sense of “shock and horror” she feels when she sees images of people killed and places destroyed in Gaza.

Ahmad said she cannot guarantee her vote and support for the leaders until she is guaranteed an arms embargo or an end to hostilities in Gaza. “I feel most responsible for life in this election – the most fundamental sanctity of life,” she said. “The only way to operate is to operate from the position of ‘do what I can’ and if there is any hope, I have to act accordingly,” she added.

She said she takes “the risk” of a possible Trump presidency “very seriously,” but argued there is also “no viable alternative to genocide on the Democratic ticket.” If Harris loses the election, she said she would hold the vice president and the Democratic Party responsible for her loss.

Reem Abuelhaj: The Philadelphia resident said she plans to go to the polls and vote it out, but “will not vote for Vice President Harris unless, at some point between now and November 5, she publicly commits to an arms embargo on Israel impose or reach a permanent ceasefire. in Gaza.”

“I am a voter with a conscience, and a candidate who resolutely promotes a policy of unconditionally arming and financing Israel to continue its genocide in Gaza and escalation in the West Bank, and the war in Lebanon is for me a alarm signal.” she said.

She told CNN that the issue is “very personal” to her. The Palestinian-American says she knows people who have lost family members in Gaza in the past year and cannot vote for someone who is part of a government she deems responsible.

At a CNN town hall, Harris said she believed people who care about Gaza also care about reproductive freedom and food prices, among other things, and might want to vote for her based on those issues.

Meghan Watts: A resident of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said the “weaponization” of these issues against her “shows how alienated she feels from what people are really concerned about.”

“It should not be a choice where we have to accept genocide in exchange for lower groceries or in exchange for a reduction in rent,” said the PhD candidate. “It is a blatant choice to be forced upon us.”

Harris’ position: Harris delivered a powerful and remarkable speech on the situation in Gaza in July, echoing President Joe Biden’s repeated comments about the “ironclad support” and “unwavering commitment” to Israel, as well as the need to retrieve the Israeli hostages from captivity from Hamas. The country has the right to defend itself, she said, noting “how it does that matters.” In her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, she called out the plight of the people in Gaza, as well as the need to free the Israeli hostages and conclude a ceasefire deal. Read more about Harris’ position on Israel’s war in Gaza here.