Harris doesn’t back Israel arms embargo, aide says

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Romulus, Michigan, August 7, 2024 – Copyright AFP JEFF KOWALSKY

Danny KEMP

Kamala Harris does not support an arms embargo on US ally Israel, a top aide said Thursday, in one of the first substantive statements on her Gaza war policy since her July entry to the 2024 White House race.

The comment came a day after the US vice president was heckled by pro-Palestinian protesters at a rally for the first time since she became the Democratic candidate less than three weeks ago.

Harris also met with groups opposed to the war after the rally in Detroit, Michigan. Participants reportedly said they brought up the issue of halting US arms supplies to Israel.

“She does not support an arms embargo on Israel,” Harris’s national security advisor Phil Gordon said on X.

He added that the vice president “has been clear: she will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups.”

Harris faces pressure from the left wing of the Democratic party to change course from President Joe Biden’s strong military and political support for Israel’s war in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

The issue is also critical in Michigan, a battleground state in November’s election with a large population of Arab Americans who are vocally opposed to the war.

In Detroit on Wednesday, Harris found herself repeatedly interrupted by Gaza protesters.

“If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” she said, her expression hardening as she sought to quell the disruptions.

Harris will also be keen not to alienate the majority of US voters whom polls say support Israel.

As vice president, Harris has sometimes been more critical than Biden of the civilian casualties caused by Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Harris then made a major shift in tone after Biden dropped out of the 2024 election, saying in a strongly worded statement after she met Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu that she would “not be silent” on the situation.

But the comments by Harris’s adviser appeared to make it clear she would not go as far as endorsing any kind of all-out pause in arms transfers.

Under Biden, the White House has only halted the delivery of a single shipment of heavy bombs to Israel over concerns about how they would be used.

On Wednesday in Detroit, Harris and her new running mate Tim Walz briefly met the leaders of the “Uncommitted” group that mobilized people to cast protest votes against Biden in this year’s Democratic primary, US media reported.

Its founders told the New York Times that they had asked Harris for a full meeting to discuss their calls for an embargo, and Harris told them she was open to a meeting.