Harris Must Commit to Ending Support for Israel's Genocide in Gaza
"Our common humanity compels us to act," the vice president and now presumptive Democratic nominee said earlier this year. Now she must.
During Donald Trump’s presidency, he repeatedly capitulated to Israel’s Zionist regime. He illegally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, illegally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, and declared Israeli settlements on Palestinian land lawful despite international law to the contrary.
As Israel continues its 10-month genocidal campaign in Gaza, there is no doubt that if he were president now, Trump would give Israel everything it wants to “finish what they started” and “get it over with fast,” that is, ethnically cleanse all of the Palestinians from Gaza.
But this genocide is happening on Joe Biden’s watch. His administration has aided and abetted Israeli genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, killing more than 40,000 Palestinians according to the official Gaza Health Ministry count, although the real death toll is likely much higher. Besides the $3.8 billion the U.S. sends annually to Israel, it has furnished an additional $15 billion in military aid since October 7, 2023. And the U.S. has provided political and diplomatic cover to Israel by vetoing three Security Council resolutions that would have required a ceasefire in Gaza.
A second Trump administration would not just double down on enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It would also usher in a system of fascism grounded in Christian nationalism.
During the primary elections, nearly 1 million voters—many of them Arab American and younger progressive voters—cast their primary ballots for “uncommitted” to protest Biden’s complicity in Israel’s genocide.
In order to capture those votes, Kamala Harris should commit to ending U.S. support for Israel’s genocide and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
Harris’s Record on Israel-Palestine
Harris has a history of strong support for Israel. As a senator, she twice addressed the pro-Zionist AIPAC conference, co-sponsored a bill to undermine a UN resolution that condemned Israel’s illegal annexation of Palestinian territory, and denounced the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement. During the 2020 presidential race, when asked by The New York Times if she believed that Israel complied with international human rights standards, she said, “Overall, yes.”
An integral part of the Biden administration, Harris has participated in 20 calls between Biden and Netanyahu since the October 7 attacks in Israel. But in the past 10 months, she has made public statements that went much further than Biden in expressing concern about the humanitarian devastation in Gaza.
While stating that Israel had a right to self-defense, Harris maintained that it must comply with international humanitarian law by protecting civilians and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. On October 29, she said on CBS’s 60 Minutes that “it is very important that there be no conflation between Hamas and the Palestinians. The Palestinians deserve equal measures of safety and security, self-determination and dignity, and we have been very clear that the rules of war must be adhered to and that there be humanitarian aid that flows.”
After meeting with leaders of Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in November 2023, Harris decried the horrors of October 7 and called for the return of the Israeli hostages. But, she added, “As Israel defends itself, it matters how. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating.”
In late 2023, Harris reportedly urged Biden to get “tougher” on Netanyahu and express more public concern about the deaths of Palestinian civilians.
On March 3, in a speech commemorating the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, Harris pressed for an immediate six-week ceasefire, stating, “What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed, women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration.”
Harris also declared, “As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. And just a few days ago, we saw hungry, desperate people approach aid trucks, simply trying to secure food for their families after weeks of nearly no aid reaching Northern Gaza. And they were met with gunfire and chaos,” adding, “Our hearts break for the victims of that horrific tragedy and for all the innocent people in Gaza who are suffering from what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe. People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.”
Harris is Constrained by Administration in Her Criticism of Israel: “Her hands are tied”
NBC Newsreported that officials at the National Security Council watered down Harris’s March 3 speech before she delivered it. The original draft came down harder on Israel over the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need for Israel to allow more aid.
Harris has apparently wanted to take a stronger stand against Israel’s assault on Gaza. A Democrat who helped elect Biden in 2020 told NBC News that Harris went to great lengths to be more responsive to the concerns of Muslim and Arab Americans and other Democrats who are disturbed by the worsening humanitarian situation after months of Israeli bombing. “Her hands are tied,” the person said. “People are not attacking her because they know that this is not her policy. This is Biden’s war. This is Biden’s failure,” adding, “I think she would have asked for a cease-fire a long time ago.”
Last week the Washington Postcited multiple current and former White House officialswho anonymously reported that Harris has advocated for the rights of the Palestinians in several internal meetings and in public remarks when she thought they were not being adequately considered in crafting policy. She faced a backlash in June after she publicly mourned the over 270 Palestinians who were “tragically killed” by an Israeli military operation that rescued four hostages held by Hamas since October 7.
To her credit, Harris refused to preside over the joint session of Congress on July 26 where Netanyahu gave what shamefully sounded like a State of the Union address.
She met with Netanyahu later and then called for a long-term cease-fire. "It's time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination." She reported that the meeting had been "frank and constructive."
Harris also stated, “Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters.” She had “serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians,” and “images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety.” She declared, “We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.”
Make Harris Commit to Ending Support for Israel’s Genocide and Illegal Occupation
After leaving Washington D.C., Netanyahu met with Trump in Florida. Trump declared that Harris’s "remarks on Israel were disrespectful."
A second Trump administration would not just double down on enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It would also usher in a system of fascism grounded in Christian nationalism.
The American Muslim 2024 Election Taskforce said in a statement: “By fully charting a new course on Gaza policy,” Harris can “win back the support of American Muslims and other voters in key swing states and, ultimately, save the country from another Trump presidency.”
We must push Harris to commit to a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of U.S. support for Israel’s genocide and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
The Uncommitted National Movement says it will support any candidate who backs a permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo. It issued this statement:
Supplying weapons to Netanyahu’s regime makes a mockery of Democrats’ claims to fight against MAGA authoritarianism. By funding a government committing human rights abuses, we undermine our party’s stance against far-right extremism and contradict our commitment to democracy. It’s time to align our actions with our values. Vice President Harris can start the process to earn back trust by turning the page from Biden’s horrific policies in Gaza.
Veterans for Peace (VFP) wrote an open letter to Harris saying that it “wholeheartedly concurs” with her sentiments following her meeting with Netanyahu. “We applaud you for expressing sympathy with the Palestinian people,” the letter says. “We also refuse to become numb to their suffering, and we cannot be silent. Like so many of our fellow citizens, including Jewish Americans, we are deeply disturbed that our government continues to provide Israel with a steady supply of bombs, and to provide political cover for Israeli leaders charged with war crimes.”
VFP states that “justice and humanity require” there be “an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the opening of Gaza’s borders for massive humanitarian and medical aid, and the end of US arms shipments to Israel.” VFP exhorts Harris not to wait until January to urge Biden to change course in Gaza.
We must push Harris to commit to a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of U.S. support for Israel’s genocide and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
The choice is clear. It is critical that Trump be defeated in November. Either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will be elected president. A vote for anyone other than Harris will help Trump take the White House - and our constitutional government with it.
