A GOP Jewish advocacy group says that Vice President Kamala Harris’ “weak condemnation of” Wednesday’s anti-Israel protests, her absence from Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, and her sympathetic rhetoric towards Gaza show she will be a “far worse” partner for Israel than Joe Biden.
Sam Markstein, national political director of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), said that Kamala Harris was far worse than Joe Biden on issues of concern to pro-Israel voters.
It took her an entire day to condemn the pro-Hamas rioters who burned American flags in Washington, D.C., and chanted antisemitic slurs at Jews. She did not mention any concrete actions she would take against them. Markstein said that it should be simple to condemn antisemitism. The real question is how she plans to combat the problem. Her statement speaks for itself. “Her priorities are not our priorities. If elected, we should expect more of the same.”
Netanyahu’s U.S. trip comes at a crucial moment in Harris’ campaign as she works to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket, and makes her case to the voters only four months before Election Day.
Netanyahu arrived in America on Monday, after being invited to speak before lawmakers at a joint session by members of Congress. Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee after Biden resigned, was not there to welcome Netanyahu when he arrived.
Israel’s prime minister spoke to Congress on Wednesday. He described the horrors that the war against Hamas has caused. Harris chose not to preside at the speech and attended instead a sorority function in Indiana.
Anti-Israel protests erupted in Washington D.C. before Netanyahu’s speech. Protesters vandalized Liberty Bell replicas with pro-Hamas graffiti, burned the American Flag, and called Netanyahu a “war criminal.”
Harris issued a statement on Thursday condemning the protests: “Yesterday, in Washington, D.C., Union Station, we witnessed despicable acts of unpatriotic demonstrators and dangerous hate-fueled speech.” I condemn anyone who associates with the Hamas terrorist group, which has pledged to destroy the State of Israel and murder Jews.
Markstein, the head of the RJC in Washington D.C., which works to lobby conservative interests, says that the vice president’s handling of the Israeli Prime Minister’s visit is a good example of how Harris’ administration will handle Israel’s relations with the U.S.
He said that “Kamala Harris, and the Democrats, will reap the fruits of their election efforts – by bringing the US-Israel relationship down to an unprecedented low and by causing antisemitism levels to reach a record high.” “The Jewish Community is more motivated than ever to elect Donald J. Trump to be the 47th president of the United States to restore law to our cities, colleges, and campuses so that American Jews are free to walk the streets or campus without fear. “Nov. 5, 2024, is not soon enough.”
Harris said she supported Israel’s right of self-defense since the attack on Oct. 7 but also called for a regional ceasefire.
In March, the vice president met Benny Gantz. Gantz is a rival to Netanyahu and a member of Israel’s wartime Cabinet. Harris was the first official of the administration to call for an “immediate cessation” of hostilities in March.
In the spring of this year, anti-Israel protests broke out on campuses all over the United States. Harris showed sympathy with the agitators in June.
Harris told The Nation in an interview that “they are demonstrating exactly what human emotion should look like as a reaction to Gaza.” “I reject some of what the protesters say, and I’m not trying to endorse everything they have said. We have to learn how to deal with it. “I understand the emotions behind it.”
