Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday walked a fine line between her unwavering support for Israel and her obvious concern for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Her main message was: Now is the time for a Gaza deal.
It is notable that Harris’ speech came after the DNC rejected a request from the Uncommitted National Movement to allow a pro-Palestinian politician – Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American and Democratic representative of the Georgia House of Representatives – to speak at the convention.
In response, delegates, who had urged voters to vote “undecided” to express their opposition to President Joe Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza, staged a sit-in outside the United Center convention hall in Chicago.
On the other hand, on Wednesday evening the DNC showed a speech by the parents of Jon and Rachel, the American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and they were greeted with a standing ovation and shouts of “Bring her home” from the audience.
Harris presented what The New York Just‘ At the end of his foreign policy remarks, David Sanger called it “the most contentious issue facing the Democrats,” saying: “On the war in Gaza, President Biden and I are working around the clock because now is the time to negotiate a hostage deal and a ceasefire agreement.”
Anti-Israel protests
Well aware of the anti-Israel protests outside the Congress Hall, she began by openly expressing her pro-Israel stance. “Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself,” she declared, drawing a standing ovation from the packed hall. “Because the people of Israel must never again experience a war like that caused by a terrorist organization called Hamas on October 7, unspeakable sexual violence, and the massacre of young people at a music festival.”
She then quickly turned to Gaza and said what had happened there in the last ten months was devastating. “So many innocent lives have been lost, desperate, hungry people are fleeing for their lives. The extent of the suffering is always heartbreaking.”
Harris reiterated that she and Biden are working to end the war between Israel and Gaza so that “Israel is safe, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.” According to commentators, this remark drew the loudest applause in the foreign policy portion of her speech.
Her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, reacted to her speech in real time on Truth Social, accusing Harris of representing “incompetence and weakness” and adding, “Our country is laughed at around the world!” Referring to her comments about Israel, Trump added, “SHE HATES ISRAEL – she didn’t even show up to (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s congressional session!”, referring to his speech to the joint session last month.
Some commentators, such as Sanger of the New York Times, said the speech was a signal that Harris intends to continue Biden’s policies if she wins the presidential election on November 6.
“She was well aware that the Gaza issue and the protests it sparked on college campuses had caught the administration between two powerful constituencies – pro-Israel Democrats and younger progressives – and she was looking for a way to quiet the issue for the next three months,” Sanger wrote. “In the end, Ms. Harris opted for a forceful tone to appeal to protesters within the party rather than making a policy change.”
On the other hand, Vox analyst Zach Beauchamp argued that Harris “showed empathy for both sides (Israel and the Palestinians) while implicitly distancing herself from Biden’s unbalanced pro-Israel approach.”
Too often, he wrote, “people who discuss this issue feel the need to acknowledge only one of these narratives – and in American politics, that is usually the Israeli one. But Harris has really put them on the same level.”
It remains to be seen whether Harris follows or deviates from Biden’s approach, but we urge her not to morally equate the Israeli and Palestinian narratives – especially since Hamas is still holding Israelis hostage in Gaza.
