Third Night of the Democratic National Convention; Bill Clinton's Speech and Ongoing Protests Against the Gaza War

The Democratic National Convention on its third night featured speeches from Tim Walz, the U.S. Vice Presidential nominee, and Bill Clinton, former President of the United States, while protests against the Gaza war continued near the convention venue. This convention, held in Chicago, Illinois, also witnessed a wave of support for Kamala Harris, the U.S. Vice President, in the presidential election on Wednesday evening, August 31. Among the figures endorsing Ms. Harris's candidacy was Bill Clinton, who served as U.S. President for two terms starting in 1993. He began his speech by praising Joe Biden and considered his decision to withdraw from the November election in favor of Kamala Harris as a factor uniting Democrats in this campaign. Mr. Clinton also attacked Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, accusing him of lying and stating that he is only concerned with himself, while if Kamala Harris becomes president, her approach will start with 'you, you, you.' On the third night of the Democratic National Convention, Tim Walz officially accepted the nomination for U.S. Vice President. Meanwhile, the ongoing Gaza war has drawn thousands protesting against U.S. government support for Israel to Chicago, the convention's location. The protests escalated into violence on Tuesday evening, leading to at least 55 arrests by U.S. police. Despite its support for Israel, the Biden administration is seeking to reach an agreement between Israel and the extremist group Hamas regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. On the third night of the Democratic National Convention, family members of several hostages held by Hamas also took the stage. Cory Booker, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, invited John Paulin and Rachel Goldberg-Paulin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Paulin, who has been a hostage of Hamas since October 7, 2023, to the stage. They are among the families of six American hostages who came to Chicago to raise awareness about the painful situation of their loved ones. Hours before this event, the White House announced that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had negotiated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the Gaza ceasefire. The United States, along with Qatar and Egypt, is mediating ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which are taking place this week in Cairo. According to Axios, Joe Biden requested flexibility from Netanyahu regarding the presence of Israeli forces along the Philadelphia corridor between Egypt and Gaza. The Netanyahu government emphasizes the presence of Israeli forces in this corridor, while Hamas is seeking a complete withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, particularly from the Philadelphia corridor, in recent ceasefire talks.