By Umar A Farooq – Middle East Eye
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ team has publicly disavowed suggestions that she is open to an arms embargo on Israel, a day after progressive activists described an “openness” from the vice president to discuss regulating military aid to Israel.
In a statement from Harris’ campaign, the US vice president said that she “has been clear: she will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups”.
On Thursday morning, Phil Gordon, Harris’ national security advisor in her capacity as vice president, issued an additional clarification, writing on social media platform X that Harris “does not support an arms embargo on Israel”.
The statements from Harris’ teams are in contradiction to a statement on Wednesday issued by Layla Elabed and Abbas Alawieh, founders of the Uncommitted national movement, that has sought to push the Democratic Party to change its policies on Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Uncommitted activists said they spoke briefly with Harris and her vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, and said Harris “shared her sympathies and expressed an openness to a meeting with Uncommitted leaders to discuss an arms embargo”.
What followed shortly after that statement was released was an incident where pro-Palestinian activists confronted Harris during a campaign rally on Wednesday in Detroit, Michigan, an area home to one of the largest concentrations of Arab Americans in the country.
Harris responded to the activists by silencing and rebuking them, saying: “You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”
Despite her shunning of the protesters, which has since gone viral on social media, many progressive voices continued to defend the notion that Harris would be open to changing the Democratic Party’s policy on Israel to appease pro-Palestinian voters.
On Thursday, the Uncommitted campaign released a statement in response to the comments from Harris’ team opposing an arms embargo.
Despite the public confirmation that Harris would maintain aid to Israel, the campaign told its supporters that Harris was willing to change course on Israel and Palestine.
“We found hope in Vice President Harris expressing an openness to meeting about an arms embargo, and we are eager to continue engaging because people we love are being killed with American bombs,” the campaign said.
“It’s clear to us that Vice President Harris can lead our country’s Gaza policy to a more humane place. We hope she will meet with us so we can move forward to discuss an arms embargo.”
Independent media figures have argued that segments of the progressive movement are manufacturing a narrative that a Harris-Walz administration would be more susceptible to demands from pro-Palestinian voters without any actual evidence.
“She did not say she was open to an arms embargo, she said she was open to meeting with them,” wrote Zaid Jilani, a journalist who runs a Substack newsletter called, The American Saga.
“Progressives continue to make up a Kamala Harris that doesn’t exist.”
Harris’ views on Gaza
US President Joe Biden dropped out of the race more than two weeks ago and Harris was nominated as the Democratic successor to face off against Republican contender Donald Trump.
For months, the Biden administration has been the target of pro-Palestinian and antiwar protesters over the president’s full-fledged support for Israel’s war effort in response to the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw over 200 taken back to Gaza as captives.
Israel’s war on Gaza has so far killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, according to the official death toll from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. However, some experts have pinned the death toll at upwards of 180,000 Palestinians.
Israeli forces have targeted Palestinian civilians as well as civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and UN shelters. Israel’s military has killed more than 160 Palestinian journalists as well.
Throughout the war, the Biden administration has maintained military support to Israel, providing munitions and weapons to help the country’s operations in Gaza. Biden’s approach to the war has been seen as widely unpopular among the Democratic voter base.
Kamala’s campaign, meanwhile, has received a boost in engagement from progressives, particularly after her selection of Minnesota Governor Walz as her running mate. However, as MEE revealed on Wednesday, anti-war activists said despite his billing, Walz has yet to meet with Palestinian families from Minnesota who have lost relatives in Gaza.
Harris, too, has been relatively quiet when it comes to revealing what her actual policies would be and has yet to conduct a media interview since securing the nomination.
Middle East Eye previously took a look into her views on the Middle East, which during her political career have aligned with the Democratic Party’s lines.
Harris and those close to her have repeatedly indicated she will remain a staunch supporter of Israel.
“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,” said Doug Emhoff, Harris’ husband, during a Zoom call last month hosted by the Jewish Democratic Council of America and Jewish Women for Kamala.
She’s a snake. No matter what she says, she was in office when Genocide began reigning down on Gaza. Sent weapons, sent money. Sent a lot more money. Vowed eternal loyalty to Israel!! All her moves are election ploys. All Trump’s are, too. Voting assures a worsening world, more fully under the boot of the jew. If you vote I accuse of co-conspiracy against my freedom and my Bill of Rights.
I’m full of hate today.
I’m full of hate ’cause I’m full of love.
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Gee…It’s so obvious that the Israeli Zionists control our government. You’d have to be blind as a bat not to see it now. Even the crazy illegal immigrants couldn’t win a political match against them.