Progressive Democrats are hopeful Kamala Harris would approach Israel policy differently to Biden
‘She’s a free agent,’ one Democratic senator told The Independent
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress re-opened the longstanding divide that progressives have with President Joe Biden on Israel-Palestine. And they are unsure whether Vice President Kamala Harris — who is all but guaranteed to now lead the Democratic ticket now that Biden announced he would not seek re-election — would be an improvement.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive from New York who did not attend Netanyahu’s speech, told The Independent the US must be “willing to enforce in a stronger, more forceful way US law, which means conditioning military assistance to respect human rights, and to ensure that US resources are not going toward the violation of human rights.”
But when asked if she was confident Harris could provide a path forward on these issues, Ocasio-Cortez didn’t give a clear answer.
“My hope is that our advocacy will always be a success,” she simply told The Independent.
Others told The Independent they are more confident in the vice president’s policy.
Representative Sara Jacobs of California, the youngest Jewish member of Congress, told The Independent she’s encouraged by the fact that Harris has a positive track record on advocating for a ceasefire.
“I think it’s very telling that she was the first person in the administration to call for a ceasefire, and I hope we’ll continue seeing her do that,” Jacobs told The Independent just ahead of Netanyahu’s address to Congress.
Representative Robert Garcia of California, another progressive who boycotted Netanyahu’s address, praised Harris along the same lines.
“Knowing what I know about her and her work as vice president, I think she’ll be very focused on worldwide peace and making sure that the United States is a global leader,” Garcia told The Independent.
Senator Peter Welch, a Vermont progressive who also skipped the speech, told The Independent that Harris might be able to effect change if she makes it to the White House next year
“She’s got a free hand,” Welch told The Independent. “She shares President Biden’s commitment to a two-state solution. And that means there has to be a major focus on... the Palestinian people.”
Welch was the first Democratic senator to call for Biden to step aside and also supports a ceasefire in Gaza.
For the most part, Harris has remained somewhat of a blank slate on Israel. When she was a senator, she spoke to AIPAC and voted for aid to Israel. Her husband Doug Emhoff denounced rising antisemitism in the United States and across the globe after the October 7 attacks.
At the same time, Harris has been more vocal about Palestinian suffering than Biden. In December, she said that international law must be respected.
“Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” Harris said. “Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating.”
In March, Harris said there should be “be an immediate ceasefire — for at least the next six weeks,” which Representative Delia Ramirez of Illinois, a member of the Squad, cited when asked today about Harris’s record.
“I think that you have seen her already talk about the importance of getting a negotiated deal to permanent ceasefire,” she told The Independent. “She said it before many of my colleagues have said it here.”
Progressives have roundly criticized the Biden administration’s support for Israel and indeed, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his longstanding support for Israel during his address — support which goes back to Biden’s time as a young senator.
Regardless of their thoughts on Harris, progressive lawmakers all seem to agree on one thing.
“What I know is this: Donald Trump would be a disaster,” Representative Jim McGovern told The Independent, when asked about what US policy toward Israel might look like if Trump won a second term. “Donald Trump would be a green light for more and more killing. I shudder to think what would happen if he were to become president.”
McGovern did not attend Netanyahu’s address and instead spoke at a counterprogramming event that featured discussions with Israeli and Palestinian peace leaders.
Representative Jamie Raskin – a Democrat who did attend Netanyahu’s address after voting against US aid to Israel earlier this year – told The Independent he’s concerned the Israeli prime minister praised Trump in his congressional address.
“I thought this was a speech for the Republican National Convention that really didn’t belong in the US House of Representatives, the way I heard it,” Raskin told The Independent.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments