Britain suspended some arms exports to Israel on Monday, but it's not entirely clear whether Vice President Kamala Harris will follow the same path.
With the war with Hamas dragging on for nearly a year, Democratic presidential candidates are under intense pressure from progressives to take a tougher stance against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Harris maintains she is committed to defending Israel, but with the war in Gaza remaining without a peace deal, she declined to answer questions about whether the U.S. could use soft power to halt arms sales to a key Middle East ally and affect policy changes under her leadership.
Asked last week if she would do anything differently with President Joe Biden regarding Israel's war with Gaza, Harris answered in the negative but quickly changed the subject to the need for a peace deal.
Harris' campaign did not respond to a request from Fox News Digital for comment on whether an arms embargo would be on the agenda if she were elected president.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at EnMarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, on August 29, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“President Biden has tried and failed to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He's been doing that with you for months. Would you do anything differently? For example, would you withhold some U.S. arms shipments to Israel?” CNN's Dana Bash asked the vice president on Thursday.
“Let me be clear: I stand clear and unwavering in my commitment to Israel's defense and its ability to defend itself,” she said, detailing the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, noting that “too many Palestinian civilians were killed.”
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According to Gaza's health ministry, some 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting since October.
“We have to get a deal done. This war has to end,” she continued. “Let's release the hostages. Let's get a ceasefire.”
“But has there been any change in policy on weapons and so on?” Bash asked again.
“No. A deal must be made. Dana, a deal must be made. Given how important this is to the families and people who live in that area, not only is a deal the right thing to do to end the war, it will also unlock a lot of what needs to happen next.”
Protesters took to the streets of Israel over the weekend, demanding an agreement for the return of the hostages. (/Tomer Appelbaum/Reuters)
“Since taking office on October 8, I have been fully committed to doing what we must do to ensure that Israel is secure and that Palestinians have equal rights to security, self-determination and dignity.”
Israel said last week that the United States had exported more than 50,000 tons of weapons and military equipment since the war began in October. Congress passed a bill in April that included $26 billion in arms aid to Israel and aid to Gaza.
Britain on Monday suspended dozens of arms exports to Israel, citing concerns the weapons could be used in violation of international law.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy The decision involves about 30 of 350 licenses for the export of equipment, including military aircraft, drone parts and items used in ground attacks, he told lawmakers on Monday.
Lamy said the British government believed the equipment was “intended for use in the current conflict in Gaza” and that there was a “clear risk” that some of it could be used “to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
Netanyahu has come under fire from all sides in Israel after six Israeli hostages were found dead in a Hamas tunnel. Protesters took to the streets over the weekend calling for a hostage deal. Among the dead was Hersh Goldberg Pollin, the 23-year-old Israeli-American whose parents made an emotional speech about hostage trading at the Democratic National Convention last month.
Asked over the weekend whether Netanyahu was doing enough to protect the hostages, President Joe Biden said “no.”
Over the weekend, Biden and Harris were working on a hostage deal with their negotiating teams as news of more deaths broke.
The president said he was “very close” to reaching a hostage deal that all parties could agree on, but negotiators have been evacuated for months. “We remain hopeful,” he said.
