Kamala Harris defends security aid to Israel alongside pressure for ceasefire

VP and Democratic presidential candidate says White House working ‘diplomatically with the leadership of Israel’ on pushing its goals, dodges question on alliance with Netanyahu

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, October 5, 2024. (AP/Chris Carlson)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, October 5, 2024. (AP/Chris Carlson)

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday defended US security assistance to Israel, but also said the Biden administration would not halt its pressure on Jerusalem for an end to the fighting.

“The aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack the people of Israel,” Harris told CBS’s “60 Minutes” in a preview clip of a rare interview, slated to air in full Sunday night.

The administration has faced questions over its continued aid to Israel given accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is bucking Washington’s interests and objectives in the region.

“When we think about the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah… Iran present, I think that it is without any question, our imperative to do what we can to allow Israel to defend itself against those kinds of attacks,” said Harris, who is running against Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump to succeed President Joe Biden in the White House.

The Democratic nominee insisted that the security aid to Israel is provided in parallel to diplomatic engagements with the country’s leaders aimed at influencing their actions.

“The work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles, which include the need for humanitarian aid, the need for this war to end, the need for a deal to be done which would release the hostages and create a ceasefire, and we’re not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders,” she said.

Pressed on what that pressure has accomplished, given how the war in Gaza has dragged on and the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has expanded dramatically in recent weeks, Harris rejected the premise, but did not provide concrete examples to back her point.

“The work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region,” she said.

Asked whether the US has a close ally in Netanyahu, Harris dodged once again.

“I think, with all due respect, the better question is, do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes,” she said.

Harris has made this argument once before, cautioning against the conflation of Israel’s government with its people, given the Biden administration’s growing rift with Netanyahu over his handling of the war in Gaza.

She has also repeatedly in recent months stressed the need for the US to continue militarily supporting Israel in the face of a wide range of threats.

Following the Iranian missile strike on Israel last week, Harris slammed the “reckless and brazen” attack, saying it further demonstrates that Tehran is a “destabilizing, dangerous force” in the Middle East.

“I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias. My commitment to the security of Israel is unwavering,” she added at the time.

Last month, Harris said in an interview during a campaign event that she supports Biden’s decision in May to withhold a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs from Israel over concerns the IDF would use them in densely populated areas of Gaza.

Harris has not deviated publicly from the Biden administration’s policies on Israel during her time as vice president, although some have seen her rhetoric throughout the war as more sharply emphasizing the plight of Palestinians.

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