Vice President Kamala Harris’ handling of the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paints a preview of how, if elected, her administration would handle U.S.-Israel relations, claims a Republican Jewish advocacy group.
The Prime Minister arrived in the United States Monday after being invited by Congressional members to address legislators during a joint session. VP Harris, who became the likely Democratic nominee for President after current President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, wasn’t on the tarmac waiting to greet Netanyahu when he arrived.
PM Netanyahu delivered his address to Congress Wednesday, where he additionally detailed the horrors of his country’s war against Hamas. She declined to preside over the address, instead attending a sorority event in Indiana.
Anti-Israel protests erupted across Washington, D.C., before Netanyahu’s speech, where agitators called the Israeli Prime Minister a “war criminal,” burned the American flag, and vandalized a replica of the Liberty Bell with pro-Hamas writing.
A leader from the Republican Jewish Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that lobbies for conservative interests, has said that if Harris is elected, he expects her to follow in President Biden’s footsteps regarding Israel in the future.
“If you thought Joe Biden was bad on issues of top concern for pro-Israel voters, Kamala Harris is far worse,” said Sam Markstein, RJC national political director, in a statement.
“It took her a full day to issue a weak condemnation of the pro-Hamas mobs that burned American flags and chanted vile antisemitic slogans at Jews in Washington, D.C. — with no mention of any concrete action she would take to hold them accountable. It should be easy to condemn antisemitism — the real question is what she will do to confront it, and her statement speaks for itself,” added Markstein. “Clearly, her priorities are not our priorities — and if elected, we can expect more of the same.”
VP Harris condemned the protests in a Thursday statement: “Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, D.C., we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protesters and dangerous hate-filled rhetoric. I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews.”
Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. comes at a critical time in Harris’ campaign
Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. is crucial in Harris’ campaign as she works to replace Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket and make a case to voters only four months before Election Day.
Harris has stated she supports the right of Israel to defend itself since the October 7 attack but has also emphasized calls for a ceasefire in the region.
In March, the vice president met with Netanyahu’s rival, Benny Gantz, and a member of Israel’s wartime cabinet. The same month, she became the first official in the Biden administration to call for an “immediate ceasefire” in the conflict.
However, anti-Israel protests exploded on college campuses nationwide in the spring, and in June, VP Harris expressed her sympathy for the agitators.
“They are showing exactly what the human emotion should be, as a response to Gaza,” said Harris in an interview with 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.”
“Kamala Harris and the Democrats will reap what they’ve sowed in this election — from undermining the U.S.-Israel relationship to unprecedented lows and overseeing a spike in antisemitism to record high,” said Markstein. “The Jewish community is more energized than ever to help elect Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States to restore law and order to our cities and colleges so that American Jews can walk the streets and campuses without fear. November 5, 2024, cannot come soon enough.”
