Having Kamala Harris as president could lead to a change in tone towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but is unlikely to alter the actual US policy on Israel, according to NBC News.
US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would not be seeking re-election after all and endorsed Harris, his vice-president, for the ticket. Most Democrats have since fallen in line, but she has not been officially nominated by the party just yet.
Harris is “widely expected to continue” Biden’s foreign policy if elected, but “appears more willing to publicly criticize Netanyahu and express empathy for the plight of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip,” NBC noted citing former officials and analysts in Washington.
A source close to the administration said that Arab-Americans, young voters and progressives might be more open to Harris “because she’s not seen as responsible for Biden’s Israel policies,” and the Democrats hope “that will help her numbers.”
A Harris presidency might result in “a much more balanced rhetorical posture,” according to Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“She clearly is going to be much more sympathetic when it comes to the issue of Palestinian statehood and even Palestinian rights,” Miller said, but noted Harris was unlikely to usher in a significant change in policy.
Following the Iranian drone and missile attack in April, Harris spoke of “ironclad” US support for Israel and declared that Americans “stand with the people of Israel in defense against these attacks.”
The Democrats have presented Harris as the historic first black and Indian woman in the vice-presidency, due to her ethnic background. She is also married to corporate lawyer Doug Emhoff, and has embraced his “Jewish connections,” hosting gatherings for Jewish holidays, NBC noted.
According to Miller, Harris has “very moderate views” on Israel, “to the left of what Biden is prepared to do but way to the right of those who argue we need to impose costs and consequences on Israel to make it clear we’re the superpower and they’re not.”
Her national security adviser, Philip Gordon, is a veteran State Department hand from the presidencies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, believed to be broadly in line with the Democrat foreign policy community.
Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Monday and address the US Congress on Wednesday. He is expected to meet with both Biden and Harris at some point.
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