Democrats on Friday rejected recent efforts by the “far left” to dissuade Vice President Kamala Harris from selecting Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate, claiming the claims are based on “anti-Semitism.”
Days after Biden withdrew his 2024 presidential bid and endorsed Harris as his top choice to succeed him, an anti-Shapiro website called “No Genocide Josh” was launched, calling on Harris not to select Shapiro as her vice president.
An anti-Shapiro website says Mr Shapiro “is opposed to a ceasefire in Palestine.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) blasted the anti-Shapiro movement in a statement about X.
“All the vice presidential candidates are pro-Israel, except for Josh Shapiro, who has been dubbed ‘Genocide Josh’ in a far-left smear campaign. The reason he is being treated differently from the other candidates is because of his anti-Semitism. We cannot allow far-left anti-Semites to have veto power over the president’s choice of vice presidential nominee,” Torres said.
The Pennsylvania governor, who is Jewish, is reportedly one of the vice presidential candidates Harris is eyeing, having openly supported her campaign in key battleground states.
Shapiro, who is running for governor in 2022, has received endorsements from the Jewish Democratic Council of America and several labor unions in the Keystone State, both of which represent voting bloc groups that helped Biden win the 2020 election.
Rep. Doug Emhoff appeared on a Zoom call with the Jewish Democratic Council of America and Jewish Women in Kamala on Wednesday and made it clear that Harris would support Israel as commander in chief. CNN reported:.
“I intend to continue living openly as a Jew and who knows, there may be a mezuzah in the White House, like there is in the vice presidential residence,” Emhoff said hopefully.
Some columnists have warned that one of the only ways Ms Harris could “ruin” Democratic unity is by choosing Mr Shapiro as her number two.
“Unfortunately, among the current vice presidential candidates, Mr. Shapiro stands out as being extremely bad on the Palestinian issue,” he said. A reporter from The New Republic wrote:“He’s not just an open supporter of Israel, like many Democrats. Indeed, he has consistently defended Israel’s war against Hamas, Without any worries For the Palestinian civilians.”
“Furthermore, Mr. Shapiro has done far more than most Democrats to attack pro-Palestinian anti-war protesters in a way that calls into question his fundamental stance on First Amendment rights,” the author added.
Other columnists also weighed in.
Pamela Paul of The New York Times said, “The sad rise in anti-Semitism in this country (see: Shapiro) makes it difficult to support a Jewish presidential candidate at this time.”
New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg also wrote, “Until about five minutes ago, everyone was worried the Democratic National Convention would be derailed by the Gaza issue. Those tensions have eased considerably, in part because voters angry about Biden’s Israel policies have taken solace in Harris, who is perceived to be more sympathetic to Palestinians.”
“Selecting Shapiro, who is fervently pro-Israel and has openly condemned the recent campus protests, would reopen those wounds,” she added.
Harris also drew the ire of pro-Israel activists after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, with an Israeli official telling Axios that the vice president had been “more critical” of the war effort in Gaza in public than in private.
Shortly after the meeting, Harris declared that the Israeli government was killing “too many” Palestinian civilians.
During a meeting with former President Donald Trump on Friday, Netanyahu openly expressed concern about how Harris’ comments might affect a ceasefire agreement with Hamas and the return of Israeli and US hostages.
“We’re going to get it,” he said. He told Fox News“And the more Hamas understands that there is no divide between Israel and the United States, the sooner an agreement will be reached, I think. And I hope that these statements don’t change that.”
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) also said he believed the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee made a mistake.
“I don’t agree with those comments,” Moskowitz said on Fox News’ “America Report.”
“History will show, and the data compared to other wars will show otherwise,” he added of Harris inflating the civilian death toll.
“This is the most urbanized region of any war in modern history,” Moskowitz noted, before arguing that Harris still has a “very pro-Israel” voting record.
Some 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between terrorists and civilians.
The United Nations acknowledged in May that the number of women and children killed during the conflict was nearly double the actual figure.
Israel invaded in response to a terror attack carried out by Hamas on the Jewish state on October 7, which left more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and 33 Americans dead.
Another 240 people have been brought back to Gaza, but at least 120 remain hostages, including five Americans.
