Scoop: Harris leaves DNC guessing on Israel
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President Kamala Harris after a bilateral meeting on July 25, 2024. Photo: Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images.
CHICAGO — Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian Democrats attending the Democratic National Convention agree on at least one thing: Kamala Harris is on their side.
Why it matters: Harris is seen as slightly more pro-Palestinian than President Biden, but whether that means her policies would be markedly different depends entirely on who you ask.
- The mystery surrounding Harris' precise views tracks with a vagueness around many of her policy priorities.
What they're saying: Pro-Israel Democrats who spoke to Axios at the convention rejected the notion that there is any daylight between Harris and Biden on the issue.
- "I think the Vice President Harris, the Harris-Walz administration, will be a strong supporter of Israel and carry forward the policies that the Biden-Harris administration have carried forth," said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.).
- Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said Harris will continue the "historically strong relationship between America and Israel," adding, "I don't think she's more pro-Palestinian."
Zoom in: George Latimer, a House candidate who unseated pro-Palestinian Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), chalked up the notion that the party will be more pro-Palestinian under Harris as a GOP talking point.
- "There's this perception that, you know, frankly, the Republicans are trying to advance. They'd like to pick up more of the Jewish vote," he told Axios.
- "Don't presume that somehow she's negative ... I expect her to be supportive of Israel."
The other side: Progressive Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) said Harris "has a new tone" from Biden, which " goes a long way ... I think she'll be an ally."
- Rep. Marc Pocan (D-Wisc.) said progressives are "taking a leap of faith" with Harris because "she's said a lot of the right things since Oct. 7, and not showing up … when Netanyahu [addressed Congress] was very significant."
- Abbas Alawieh, a leader of the pro-Palestinian "uncommitted" movement, said he is "hearing from a lot of folks that are closer to her that she personally is sympathetic, maybe even more than other presidents we've seen in our lifetime."
- Alawieh said uncommitted delegates still need to see more from Harris, but "it seems like she and her team are more willing to engage."
Between the lines: Harris has subtly-but-noticeably distinguished herself from Biden when speaking about Gaza since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war by pointedly decrying the deaths and suffering of Palestinian civilians.
- But she has not had a firm break with the Biden administration's generally supportive stance towards Israel, which has included the continued flow of U.S. weaponry to the country.
- She has had a similarly mixed record as the Democratic candidate, saying she "will not be silent" on Gaza after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but talking down pro-Palestinian demonstrators who disrupted one of her rallies.
- The Harris campaign and progressives have also clashed during the convention on whether to allot speaking time to uncommitted delegates.
The bottom line: To some Democrats, the mystery around Harris' views is more of a feature than a bug.
- "What happens in diplomacy isn't always visible to us in hour-by-hour increments," said Latimer.
- "Give her and her team the ability to try to negotiate, and see how it plays out."
