President Joe Biden’s unwavering support for Israel’s war on Gaza has divided moderates and progressives in his party. Now that he has stepped down from the 2024 presidential race, the question is whether Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, will forge a different path as president.
An early sign that he might be: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address Congress on Wednesday, and Harris will not preside in his vice presidential role because of a previously scheduled event in Indianapolis. Several Democrats in Congress (not just progressives) chose not to participate Protests against Netanyahu’s strategy in Gaza.
Harris will meet one-on-one with Netanyahu on Wednesday The Wall Street Journal reported That he is expected to tell him “now is the time to end the war in a way where Israel is safe, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”
Just days into his campaign, Harris has yet to reveal his Gaza policy, but the fact that he’s not attending Netanyahu’s speech and privately communicating the urgency of the ceasefire suggests he won’t be following Biden’s lead in giving the Israeli leader a “Biden.”bear hugBiden literally embraced Netanyahu when the president landed in Tel Aviv in November as a symbolic gesture of unequivocal support for Israel, and has since kept the prime minister close by offering military and financial support.
If Harris changes course, even slightly, it could change US-Israel relations, but also have important electoral consequences.
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- Harris’ Strengths and Weaknesses as a Presidential Candidate
What does Kamala Harris think about Israel and the Gaza war?
Harris has longstanding ties to the American Jewish community and Israeli interest groups.
Her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Moff, was Jewish and at the forefront of the Biden administration Anti-Semitism initiative Since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
He has a good working relationship with Israeli President Isaac Herzog Shares a passion for climate issues. He has been one of each More than 20 phone calls That Biden was with Netanyahu throughout the war.
In his presidential bid, he has support won Major Jewish interest groups, including the Democratic Majority for Israel, J Street and the Jewish Democratic Council of America. He also has connections American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and spoke at the event Annual conference of the organization in 2017 Shortly after being elected to the US Senate, he said one of his first acts in office was to introduce a resolution opposing a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel. At that time, he said, ‘I believe that the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable.
Regarding the Gaza war, Harris repeatedly states that Israel’s “The right to defend oneself“Against Hamas and assert that Israel should be threatened by Hamas”eliminatedThis suggests that he largely agrees with Biden’s stance. Harris, however, has taken a sharper tone than Biden on Israel’s treatment of civilians in Gaza.
In high-profile March speechHe became the first person in the Biden administration to call for an immediate ceasefire, albeit just one temporary one He also said that the Israeli government must do more to increase the flow of aid to Gaza, saying there are “no excuses” and calling the situation in Gaza a “humanitarian disaster”. The version of the speech that was ultimately delivered is said to be has been softened From its original draft, which more directly criticized Israel for blocking aid trucks to Gaza.
He sympathized with student protesters on college campuses who are horrified by the death and destruction in Gaza and have tried to pressure their schools to cut ties with Israel.
“They’re showing exactly what people’s emotions should be in response to Gaza,” Harris said Told the nation. “There are things that some protestors are saying that I absolutely reject, so I don’t want to endorse their points wholesale. But we have to navigate it. I understand the sentiment behind it.”
If he becomes president, the Wall Street Journal reports that Harris Replacement is expected Some of the key architects of the Biden administration’s strategy in Gaza include National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. It is expected that a new president will want his own party, but any change will open up the possibility of taking a different tack.
Harris’ national security adviser, Philip Gordon, has emphasized diplomatic rather than military solutions in foreign policy and has written extensively about the difficulties of regime change in the Middle East. That background could prove relevant as Israel seeks to eliminate Hamas and install a new government in Gaza.
All of this suggests that Harris may be slightly to the left of Biden on Gaza — but how much is an open question and one he needs to clarify.
“He has a chance. He is using correct language in some cases. But we need a clearer explanation from him about where he stands,” said Abed Ayoub, national law and policy director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
And — as with Joe Biden’s campaign promise to turn Saudi Arabia into a pariah state — there’s always a chance that what Harris ultimately says on the campaign trail could change once he’s in office.
Biden’s Gaza policy has been divisive
Politically, Harris faces the dilemma of deciding whether — and how much — to distance himself from Biden’s record on Gaza, which has shattered the Democratic base.
At one point, Biden Stopping shipments of large arms to Israel over concerns about how they could potentially be used against Gazan civilians but otherwise continued to provide material support for the war even after the Israeli offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. Caused massive destruction. Over 39,000 Palestinians According to the Gaza Health Ministry, there were already dead during the clashes.
In May, Biden made a call Agreement to end the war and return the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, while continuing to advocate for a two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But Israel’s parliament has since voted Reject a two-state solution And two months later a ceasefire is still being negotiated.
On Monday, Biden promised he would provide a truce Make the deal before he leaves office. He did not elaborate on how he plans to overcome the roadblocks that have stalled talks so far.
Progressives have been calling on Biden for months to put more pressure on Israel to end arms shipments to Gaza and end the war. More than 650,000 are Democrats Voted “Reluctant”. Initially protesting Biden’s policies and The scale of opposition to Biden in the Midwest Swing states, including Michigan and Wisconsin, seemed likely to tip the polls in Trump’s favor. Depending on how Harris positions himself, he could win some of those voters.
“I think that there is tension [Biden] Not at the top of the ticket,” said Layla Ilabed, a Palestinian American organizer in Michigan who helped lead the Unstoppable movement and Rep. Sister of Rashida Talib (D-MI). “But we’re just now watching and hearing what Harris is going to do next.”
Overall, however, Democrats and Republicans Being largely supportive Israel’s campaign. Since the establishment of Israel in 1948 The United States maintains a special relationship with the country. It has been the largest cumulative recipient of American foreign aid since its founding. The total is about $310 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military aid.
Because of this, it’s unlikely that Harris will deviate substantially from Biden on Israel — and that his policy will change little if at all. The question will be whether any change can win back the voters the president alienated without losing voters who took his position.
That leaves Harris walking with a tough political tussle. But unlike Biden, he has not weighed in on direct responsibility for what has happened so far.
