Doubts Over Harris’s Policy on Israel Could Erupt at Chicago Convention
‘If Israel’s enemies perceive weakness in support for Israel, it’s very serious. That’s the danger,’ a former Anti-Defamation League director, Abraham Foxman, tells the Sun.
Will anti-Israel protesters who plan to disrupt the Democratic National Convention at Chicago be appeased by reports that Vice President Harris is “open” to an arms embargo on Israel? More importantly, what would the Jewish state’s Mideast enemies make of it?
During a meeting with members of an anti-Israel group on the sidelines of a Detroit campaign rally, the vice president said she was open to their suggestion of an arms embargo, the New York Times reported late Wednesday. The Harris-Walz campaign issued a non-denial afterward, and later Ms. Harris’s national security adviser, Philip Gordon, issued further clarification, saying she opposes such an embargo.
“She needs to say it, not an aide,” a former Anti-Defamation League director, Abraham Foxman, tells the Sun. “If Israel’s enemies perceive weakness in support for Israel, it’s very serious. That’s the danger.”
Israel is on edge, facing threats of a multi-prong attack from the Islamic Republic of Iran and its regional proxies. Any hint that America’s support of the Jewish state is waning could encourage further aggression.
According to a July report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Iran is attempting to sway the election against President Trump and in favor of the Democratic presidential candidate. It has been especially “active in exacerbating tensions over the Israel-Gaza conflict,” the reports says.
After the Times reported that Ms. Harris has told the Detroit activists that she is “open” to their demand to end arming Israel, her campaign issued a statement that omitted any direct reference to the question of an arms embargo. Instead, it merely said the vice president “will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups.”
The statement also said that Ms. Harris has “prioritized engaging with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members and others regarding the war in Gaza,” and will continue to do so. She is focused on gaining a Gaza cease-fire, it added, in order to secure Israel and to ensure the release of hostages. With a cease-fire, it added, “the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”
Shortly afterward, Mr. Gordon wrote on X that Ms. Harris “does not support an arms embargo on Israel,” and that she will “continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.”
Arab activists reacted with anger to the vice presidential aide’s decisive denial. “Gordon is Kamala Harris’ national security advisor and will most likely be a senior official within her administration,” a Detroit-based pro-Arab activist, Abdelhalim Abdelrahman, wrote. “Not a good sign if you’re part of the uncommitted movement.”
The “uncommitted movement” was established by Representative Rashida Tlaib when President Biden was the Democratic presidential candidate. It was formed to protest the White House’s perceived pro-Israel tilt. The movement threatened to boycott the election, and in effect risk a victory for Trump in Michigan and other areas with heavy Arab-American populations.
“If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” Ms. Harris told an anti-Israel heckler at her Wednesday campaign rally. It was a message that seemed intended to appeal to the uncommitted movement.
While Israel supporters are less likely to heckle, some might also sit out the election if Ms. Harris is seen as tilting against the Jewish state. “We are being taken for granted,” Mr. Foxman says. “We don’t like Trump, but we may not vote. Harris is risking losing Jews, and Jews are significant in Pennsylvania.”
While Michigan, with its 15 electoral college votes, is expected to be a closely contested state and is widely considered a must-win for both sides, so is the Keystone State, which has 19 electoral votes.
Meanwhile, even as Mr. Gordon attempted to appeal to pro-Israel voters, Republicans were unpersuaded. Several GOP senators are already challenging Mr. Gordon, citing his ties to what they describe as an Iranian influence operation in America. His long advocacy of Iran appeasement, they now say, makes his denial sound hollow.
“The way you can know that Harris and her team support limiting arms to Israel is because she and her team, especially Phil Gordon, have for months vocally advocated limiting arms to Israel inside the interagency,” a senior aide to Senator Cruz, Omri Ceren, writes on X.
Meanwhile, the city of Chicago is reportedly yet to approve a license for pro-Israel supporters during the Democratic convention that starts August 19. Pro-Palestinian groups, in contrast, were approved. As Ms. Harris is yet to convince either side in the debate over arming Israel, her hoped-for “convention bump” in the polls could be at risk.
https://www.nysun.com/article/doubts-over-harriss-policy-on-israel-could-erupt-at-chicago-convention
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