July 24, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris will be notably absent from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, July 24—a move some Republicans called “petty,” according to a report by The Hill.
Harris—now rapidly consolidating support as the likely Democratic nominee after Biden dropped out of the race—has been seen as more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause compared to the commander-in-chief, who has been followed around the country by protesters demanding an end to the war.
As vice president, Harris would traditionally preside over a joint session involving a foreign leader’s address. But instead, she will be on the road in Indiana—opting not to change her preexisting plans.
For starters, Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said recently that Harris “has a deep empathy for the situation of Palestinian Americans,” adding, “It’s more natural to her.”
Yet the decision also comes with some risks, as Republicans are likely to point to Harris’s absence as an unnecessary snub of a key U.S. ally, something former President Trump’s campaign is certain to echo.
“VPOTUS Harris’s snub of Netanyahu is petty and disrespectful,” Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), said on Monday, July 22, on the social platform X.
Harris, 59, is of a different generation than Biden, the 81-year-old president whose fiercely pro-Israel stance was increasingly out of step with young Democrats.
Allies say that as a woman of Black and South Asian descent, Harris is naturally more sympathetic to Palestinians, even if she has backed Biden’s support of Israel in the war with Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the United States.
“The vice president’s language from the beginning has been inclusive of both Israeli security and the plight of the Palestinians. That has been well-regarded by people on both sides of the Israel debate,” a Harris ally said.
Harris most notably had a breakout moment on the issue during a March speech in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in which she began her remarks addressing the war, where she called the situation in Gaza “devastating” and a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
Those were some of the most pointed words coming out of the Administration since the start of the war at the time. Harris received several rounds of applause during her remarks, while Biden was often met with silence or protesters when he addressed the issue.
Biden lost more than half a million voters to the “uncommitted” movement in this year’s Democratic primaries—numbers that underscored frustration within his own party over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
An aide to the vice president said she has had an “unwavering commitment to the security of Israel” and has been engaged with Israeli officials since the October 7 attacks, speaking “regularly” with President Isaac Herzog.
The aide noted she “repeatedly condemned Hamas’s brutal attack on October 7 and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” which echoes Biden’s stance on the conflict. She is also expected to “reiterate her deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the loss of innocent life,” the aide said.
Harris’s meeting with Netanyahu this week could ease concerns among voters angered by Biden’s handling of the war and give her yet another boost, if progressives can see her candidacy as a fresh start on Middle East policy.
“Not being responsible for the situation in Gaza will help the vice president bring Democrats back to the fold who have been upset for the last few months about the issue,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, who worked for Harris until last year.
Research contact: @thehill
