Republican Jewish advocacy groups say Vice President Kamala Harris’ response to the Israeli prime minister’s visit is a harbinger of how her administration will handle U.S.-Israel relations if elected.
Netanyahu arrived in the US on Monday at an invitation from lawmakers to address them at a joint session of the legislature. Harris, who has become the leading Democratic presidential candidate since Biden dropped out of the race, did not greet Netanyahu on the runway upon his arrival.
The Israeli prime minister spoke to parliament on Wednesday detailing the horrors of the country’s war with Hamas. Harris declined to host the speech, instead attending a sorority event in Indiana.
Anti-Israel protests erupted across Washington DC ahead of Netanyahu’s big speech, with protesters burning an American flag, calling the Israeli prime minister a “war criminal” and vandalising a replica of the Liberty Bell that bore pro-Hamas inscription.
Anti-Israel agitators burn American flag, denounce Netanyahu as ‘war criminal’ as he speaks to parliament
Demonstrators gather around a burning American flag and an effigy during a pro-Palestinian protest on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 24, 2024, the day Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress. (Seth Herald)
The leader of the Republican Jewish Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that lobbies for conservative interests, said that if Harris is elected, he expects her to follow in President Biden’s footsteps on advancing Israel.
“If you think Joe Biden is bad on the issues that matter most to pro-Israel voters, Kamala Harris is even worse,” Sam Markstein, national political director for the RJC, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“She spent the entire day issuing weak condemnations of the pro-Hamas mob that burned an American flag in Washington DC and shouted vile anti-Semitic slogans at Jewish people, without mentioning any concrete actions she would take to hold them accountable. Condemning anti-Semitism should be easy; the real question is how she will confront it, and her comments speak for themselves,” Markstein added. “Clearly, her priorities are not our priorities, and if elected, we will see a repeat of the same thing.”
Vice President Kamala Harris waves before boarding Air Force Two to depart for a campaign trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (Kevin Mohat/Pool via The Associated Press)
Harris condemned the protests in a statement Thursday: “Yesterday at Union Station in Washington, DC, we witnessed the despicable actions and hateful and dangerous rhetoric of unpatriotic protesters. I condemn the individuals associated with Hamas, a brutal terrorist organization vowed to destroy the State of Israel and murder Jewish people.”
Netanyahu’s visit to the US comes at a crucial time for Harris’ campaign, as she seeks to appeal to voters as an alternative to front-runner Biden just four months before Election Day.
Republicans consider revoking visas of violent protesters ahead of Netanyahu speech
Since the Oct. 7 attack, Harris has said she supports Israel’s right to self-defense, but has also stressed her call for a ceasefire in the region.
Vice President Harris met with Benny Gantz, a rival of Prime Minister Netanyahu and a member of Israel’s wartime cabinet, in March, and that same month became the first administration official to call for an “immediate ceasefire” in the conflict.
But anti-Israel protests erupted on college campuses across the country in the spring, and Harris expressed sympathy for the protesters in June.
Columbus Memorial Fountain at Union Station during a pro-Palestinian protest on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 24, 2024, the day Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to a joint session of Congress. (Reuters/Seth Herold)
“They are showing exactly what human emotion should be in response to Gaza,” Harris told The Nation in an interview. “Some of the protesters hold views that I absolutely reject, so I’m not going to fully endorse what they’re saying, but we have to get past it. I understand the emotion behind it.”
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“Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party will reap the seeds they sowed in this election: an unprecedented deterioration of U.S.-Israel relations and an increase in anti-Semitism to an all-time high,” Markstein said. “The Jewish community is more passionate than ever to elect Donald J. Trump the 47th President of the United States, to restore law and order to America’s cities and universities, and to help American Jews walk our streets and campuses without fear. Let’s hope November 5, 2024 comes soon.”
Fox News’ Michael Lee and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
