Vice President Kamala Harris does not support an arms embargo on Israel despite calls for one from the more progressive elements of the Democratic Party.
The progressive wing of the party, which has been unhappy with President Joe Biden’s handling of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, views Harris’s ascension to the top of the ticket as a possible shift in the U.S. support for Israel, though it is not clear how exactly a future Harris administration would differ from the current one.
While Harris has been more vocal about the plight of Palestinian civilians, she “will always ensure Israel” has the ability to defend itself, according to Phil Gordon, her national security adviser.
Harris “has been clear: She will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups,” he said. “She does not support an arms embargo on Israel. She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.”
On Wednesday, Harris briefly spoke with the co-founders of the “uncommitted” movement, which encouraged Democratic voters disillusioned with Biden’s stance on the war to vote “uncommitted” instead of for the president during the primary, and the leaders pushed her to consider an arms embargo on Israel.
During her rally in Michigan, pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted her.
“We believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now,” Harris said in response to the interruption, and after they continued, she added, “You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”
The quip is unlikely to satisfy a key constituency who felt unheard by the Biden administration’s policy toward the war.
The vice president has not directly laid out a policy toward Israel that differs from Biden, such as conditioning aid or cutting it off altogether, though she has spoken more aggressively than the president about the suffering of Palestinian civilians.
Shortly after Biden announced his decision not to run for reelection last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington to meet with both of them and he addressed Congress.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
After Harris and Netanyahu met, the vice president gave solo remarks to the press, declaring that she would not “look away in the face of these tragedies,” regarding the deaths of civilians, and said she “will not be silent.”
In those remarks, she called Hamas “a brutal terrorist organization,” said it “triggered this war,” and noted that “Israel has a right to defend itself and how it does so matters.”