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What is Kamala Harris' take on Israel and Gaza? Americans wonder if she will chart a different path forward
After Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Kamala Harris, one question has been on the mind of all Americans: what is her take on Israel and Gaza?
After Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Kamala Harris, one question has been on the mind of all Americans: what is the US vice president's take on Israel and Gaza? Biden's strong support for Israel’s war in Gaza led to a rift between moderates and progressives in his party. Will Harris create a different path forward?
Notably, Harris was not present in her role as vice president during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress in the US, as she had to attend an event in Indianapolis. Harris and Netanyahu are expected to meet one-on-one later on Wednesday, July 24. According to the Wall Street Journal, Harris is expected to tell him “it is time for the war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”
Will Kamala Harris chart a different path forward if she becomes president?
Harris not attending Netanyahu’s speech and instead choosing to meet him privately is slightly different from Biden’s approach. Biden was seen embracing Netanyahu on the tarmac in Tel Aviv in November, which symbolised his unwavering support for Israel. Biden and Netanyahu have remained close, with the president offering him financial and military support.
In case Harris plans to change the course even a little, US’ relationship with Israel might be impacted. It could have electoral consequences too, of course.
Harris has yet to open up about her Gaza policy. However, it is widely known that she has ties to the American Jewish community and Israeli interest groups.
Doug Emhoff, her husband, is Jewish. He has supported the Biden administration’s initiative against antisemitism ever since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7 last year. Harris has a great working relationship with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and has been involved in every phone call Biden and Netanyahu have had in the midst of the war.
Harris has won the support of several major Jewish interest groups in her presidential bid, including Democratic Majority for Israel, J Street, and the Jewish Democratic Council of America. She is connected to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In 2017, after being elected to the US Senate, Harris spoke at the organisation’s annual conference. “I believe the bonds between the United States and Israel are unbreakable,” she said at the time.
On various occasions, throughout the ongoing war, Harris asserted that Israel has the “right to defend itself” against Hamas. She also said that the threat Hamas posed to Israel should be “eliminated.”
In March, Harris became the first person in the Biden administration to call for an immediate ceasefire. She called the condition in Gaza a “humanitarian catastrophe,” and asked Israel to increase the flow of aid to Gaza.
Harris was also empathetic towards students protesting on college campuses across the US, calling for their school to cut ties with Israel. “They are showing exactly what the human emotion should be, as a response to Gaza,” Harris told the Nation. “There are things some of the protesters are saying that I absolutely reject, so I don’t mean to wholesale endorse their points. But we have to navigate it. I understand the emotion behind it.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that if Harris becomes president, she might replace some people who acted as chief architects of the Biden administration’s strategy in Gaza. This could include national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
