Kamala Harris on Israel, the Gaza War, and a Potential Ceasefire

President Joe Biden’s staunch support for Israel in the Gaza war has divided moderates and progressives in his party. Now that he has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, the question is whether Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, will forge a different path forward as president.

One early sign that she might: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday, and Harris will not preside over the session in her capacity as vice president because she is attending an event in Indianapolis. Many Democrats in Congress, not just progressives, have decided not to attend. Protests against Netanyahu’s Gaza strategy.

Harris will meet one-on-one with Netanyahu on Wednesday. According to the Wall Street Journal She is expected to tell him that “it is time to end the war, when Israel will be safe, all hostages will be released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza will end, and the Palestinian people will be able to enjoy their rights to dignity, freedom and self-determination.”

Just days into the campaign, Harris has yet to spell out her Gaza policy, but the fact that she did not attend Netanyahu’s speech and privately conveyed the urgency of a ceasefire suggests she may not follow Biden’s lead in giving the Israeli leader “the imperative to protect his people.”bear hug” In November, when the president arrived in Tel Aviv, Biden embraced Netanyahu on the tarmac in a symbolic show of clear support for Israel, and since then, Biden has remained in close contact with the prime minister, offering military and financial support.

If Harris does change course, even slightly, it could transform U.S.-Israel relations and could have important electoral implications.

Harris has longstanding ties to the American Jewish community and Israeli interest groups.

Her husband, Doug Emov II, is Jewish and has been a leading figure in the Biden administration. Initiative against anti-Semitism Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

She has a good working relationship with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Passionate about climate issuesShe also attended More than 20 calls Biden and Netanyahu maintained this relationship throughout the war.

During her presidential campaign, she Won support She is a member of major Jewish interest groups, including the Democratic Majority for Israel, J Street, and the Jewish Democratic Council of America. American Israel Public Affairs Committee (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and 2017 Annual Meeting of the Organization Shortly after her election to the U.S. Senate, she said her first act would be to propose an opposition to a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel. At the time, she said: “I believe the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable.”

Regarding the Gaza War, Harris repeatedly supports Israel’s “Right to self-defense” and stressed that the threat posed by Hamas to Israel must be “eliminateThat suggests she generally agrees with Biden’s position. However, Harris has been more pointed than Biden on Israel’s treatment of civilians in Gaza.

High profile March SpeechShe became the first person in the Biden administration to call for an immediate ceasefire, albeit just temporary She also said the Israeli government must increase aid to Gaza, “without any excuses,” and called the situation in Gaza a “humanitarian disaster.” Already softened The initial draft more directly criticized Israel for blocking aid trucks from entering Gaza.

She also expressed Student protesters on university campus They were appalled by the death and destruction in Gaza and tried to pressure the school to sever its ties with Israel.

“They are showing exactly the kind of human emotion that should be shown in response to Gaza,” Harris said. Tell the country“Some of the protesters are saying things that I strongly disagree with, so I have no intention of fully agreeing with their views. But we have to deal with this issue. I understand the sentiment behind them.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, if Harris is elected president, Expected to replace Some of the key architects of the Biden administration’s Gaza strategy include National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. It’s to be expected that a new president will want his own team, but any changes would open up the possibility of 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. This background could be significant as Israel seeks to root out 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 exactly how far to the left remains an open question for her to clarify.

“She did have a chance. In some cases, her wording was correct. But we need her to explain her position more clearly,” said Abed Ayoub, national legal and policy director for the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

And — just like Joe Biden’s campaign promise to make Saudi Arabia a pariah state — what Harris said during the campaign will likely change once she’s in office.

Politically, Harris faces the dilemma of determining whether and to what extent she should distance herself from Biden’s record on Gaza, which has divided the Democratic base.

Biden Suspension of large ammunition transport There are concerns that these weapons could be used against Gaza civilians, but otherwise they continue to provide material support for the war, even after Israel launched a military operation against the southernmost city of Rafah in Gaza. Caused extensive damage. Exceed 39,000 Palestinians According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 30 people have died in the clashes.

In May this year, Biden called for Agreement ending the war and repatriate the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, while continuing to advocate for a two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rejection of the two-state solution Two months later, ceasefire negotiations are still ongoing.

Biden pledged Monday that he would Achieving a ceasefire He wants to reach a deal with the U.S. before he leaves office. He has not detailed how he plans to overcome obstacles that have so far hampered negotiations.

For months, progressives have called on Biden to halt weapons shipments to Gaza and increase pressure on Israel to end the war. More than 650,000 Democrats Vote “No Commitment” Protesting Biden’s policies in the primaries, The scale of opposition to Biden in the Midwest It seems like that could tip the election in Trump’s favor in swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin. Whether Harris can win back some of those voters depends on how she positions herself.

“I think it’s exciting that Biden is not the top candidate,” said Layla Elabed, a Palestinian American organizer in Michigan who helped lead the Uncommitted movement and is the sister of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). “But we’re also watching and listening now to what Harris does next.”

But overall, the Democratic and Republican Still basically supported Israel Campaign. Since the establishment of Israel in 1948, The United States maintains a special relationship with the country.It is the country that has received the most U.S. foreign aid since its founding. Total amount: approximately US$310 billion Total economic and military aid (adjusted for inflation).

For these reasons, Harris’s positions on Israel are unlikely to deviate much from Biden’s — and any changes in her policies would be minor. The question is whether those changes can win back voters the president has alienated without losing those who support his positions.

That puts Harris in a difficult political position. But unlike Biden, she is not burdened with direct responsibility for what has happened so far.