Four days into the most critical week of Kamala Harris’ political career, she faces one of the most complex foreign policy issues confronting the nation. This challenge involves engaging directly with an Israeli prime minister who notably omitted any mention of her in his address to Congress on Wednesday afternoon.
Until now, Harris has been closely associated with President Joe Biden, who is arguably one of the most explicitly pro-Israel American presidents, despite his strained relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu. However, as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Harris must now define her own presidential stance on this and other issues, while Biden remains at the White House working on an Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal and considering the normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia as a potential legacy project.
On Wednesday, Harris chose to attend a pre-scheduled sorority event in Indiana instead of presiding over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. This occurred amidst antisemitic protests near the US Capitol, where security measures reminiscent of the January 6, 2021, riot were implemented. On Thursday, she is set to meet Netanyahu in her ceremonial office in the Old Executive Office Building. However, articulating a clear position on Israel will require more than just this meeting, as indicated by CNN’s discussions with numerous former and current aides, members of Congress, and other political figures.
We don’t have enough evidence,” said Richard Haass, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former official in George W. Bush’s State Department, when asked to evaluate Harris’ position on Israel in comparison to Biden’s. “Anyone who says they can answer is not very helpful. You can’t judge a person when they’re vice president.”
Even those who have had in-depth discussions with Harris about Israeli policy struggled to answer CNN’s questions regarding whether she would have taken similar actions as Biden, such as sending some weapons to Israel while halting others. They responded with extended pauses and insisted it was impossible to judge hypotheticals.
Aides indicate that Harris will clarify her stance more definitively on Thursday after her meeting with Netanyahu.
According to those familiar with her, Harris aims to emphasize her independence from Biden without breaking away from him. She intends to demonstrate the same clarity she has shown in her criticisms of Donald Trump, avoiding the pitfalls of trying to please everyone by remaining vague.
The uncertainty about her stance is significant enough that second gentleman Doug Emhoff made a surprise appearance on a quickly organized Zoom call hosted by the Jewish Democratic Council of America and Jewish Women for Kamala. “Let me just make this clear: The vice president has been and will be a strong supporter of Israel as a secure democratic and Jewish state, and she will always ensure that Israel can defend itself, period. Because that’s who Kamala Harris is,” Emhoff said.
However, change is anticipated. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee who has been critical of Israel recently and has observed Harris’ foreign policy thinking during their time on the Senate Intelligence Committee, predicted a shift. “President Biden brought to the White House a lifelong relationship with Bibi Netanyahu and a very mature history on the US-Israel relationship,” Murphy said. “This certainly seems to be a moment for a reconsideration of the relationship and for some fresh thinking on how to approach an Israeli political landscape that is lurching further to the right than we could have ever imagined.
Murphy added, “I think we would all benefit from getting a fresh set of eyes on this conflict and the way that the United States could try to create a viable Palestinian state.