We still don't know where Kamala Harris stands on Gaza
She's too busy telling everyone what they want to hear
See updates through August 23, 2024 at end of post.
In the wake of dueling narratives as to where Kamala Harris stands on the Gaza genocide,[1] what really emerges from Edward-Isaac Dovere’s reporting on the meeting between Binyamin Netanyahu and Harris is that a lot of folks have been reduced to reading tea leaves trying to figure out where she stands on the Gaza genocide.[2]
I faintly recall that Barack Obama once explained himself saying that he was like a mirror for what people wanted to see. Obama, a neoliberal, wasn’t nearly so progressive as many of his admirers thought and I very much suspect we will see the same with Harris, including quite specifically on Gaza.
Dovere writes (quoting at length), “But after her meeting with the prime minister [Netanyahu] Thursday [July 25] afternoon, [Harris] laid out what she wanted to be a very clear position, speaking to reporters in a way she has not done after previous meetings with foreign leaders.
“Harris started by recalling a history of connection to Israel that dates back to her childhood collecting money to plant trees there, and she ran through her work in the administration. She has, she said, ‘unwavering commitment’ to Israel, its right to exist and its security.
“She called Hamas a ‘brutal terrorist organization.’ She read the names of the American hostages still being held, and those who have died in captivity.
‘Israel has a right to defend itself,’ she said, ‘and how it does so matters.’
“And the toll on the Palestinians matters, she said, as she called for everyone involved to push for a hostage release and ceasefire deal, and eventually, a two-state solution.
“‘What has happened in Gaza over the last nine months is devastating,’ she said. ‘We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies, we cannot allow ourselves to be numb. And I will not be silent.’”
I disagree that Harris was indeed trying to lay out a clear position. A clear position would condemn obvious genocide. Or it would be Donald Trump advocating that Israel should finish the job—and quickly.[3]
Harris was rather speaking with a forked tongue (they call this “constructive ambiguity” and it’s a very, very old game), telling each side what it wants to hear: Israel has a right to exist, she says. Gazans are suffering, she says. If you’re pro-Israel, you hear her say how much she loves Israel. If you’re pro-Palestine, you hear her demand a ceasefire, deviating from Joe Biden’s position, if at all, only in tone.[4] (As Politico’s Playbook newsletter put it, “even when she reads the exact same lines as Biden, it’s interpreted very differently.”[5]) And each side will be inclined to make much more of what they hear her saying than is actually there.
Update, August 3, 2024: I have seen some speculation that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro may be Kamala Harris’ pick for vice president. As with Harris, how you parse the words matters,[6] but such a choice would likely be far more reassuring for Israel’s supporters than for Gaza’s as he seems unlikely to be more progressive than Joe Biden.[7]
The trouble for me lies in that constructive ambiguity that Harris has so far maintained. Yes, I favor a two-state solution, but a genocidal Israel that has been an ethnic cleansing project from the beginning[8] has no legitimacy. Harris and Shapiro both say the first part of that, but not the second—and because Harris serves in the Biden administration, I cannot expect her to say the second. Shapiro, too, serves as governor of a state with a significant Jewish population, including in Pittsburgh, where the Tree of Life shooting occurred,[9] and where the population is considerably more likely to perceive Israel as the victim.
A lot of folks are listening only to the evidence that fits their preconceived notions. Harris has said some revolting pro-Israel things.[10] So has Shapiro.[11] Both advocate a two-state solution.[12] Neither translates clearly into support for genocide the way that Biden’s arms and money do. But neither is reassuring.
Update, August 6, 2024: Stephen Zunes, who wrote[13] before Kamala Harris made her choice for vice president known,[14] observes, “It is extremely difficult for a sitting Vice President to be elected President. Only six office-holders have tried since the early nineteenth century, and four of them lost. They have to find a balance between asserting their own agenda and not appearing disloyal by contradicting their President’s positions. This is particularly true on foreign policy. Regarding Israel-Palestine, in the words of those who know her, ‘Harris is going to try to emphasize her independence from Biden without breaking with him.’”[15]
Which is to say that it appears we will not have a clear indication of Harris’ view of the genocide in Gaza before the election. Which, of course, irritates the fuck out of me, but also, of course, is her smart play.
We’re reduced to reading tea leaves, which is pretty much what Zunes is attempting to do—never advisable—like her choice of running mate: And after much drama, Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz, the progressive preference, over Josh Shapiro, whose embrace of Israel was at least on par with that of Joe Biden.[16]
Mehdi Hasan, reads all this somewhat more optimistically, writing “Shapiro, who volunteered on an Israeli army base in his youth, tried to penalize Ben & Jerry’s for refusing to sell ice cream in illegal Israeli settlements, and spent the months since Oct. 7, 2023, defending Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, refusing to call for a ceasefire, and comparing anti-war college protesters to the KKK, would have alienated key segments of the Democratic base – Arab-Americans in Michigan, Black pastors in Georgia, young and progressive voters across the country. (Plus, aside from Gaza, the teaching unions weren’t happy with the Pennsylvania governor’s education policies either.)
“Progressives should be under no illusion: Walz is no friend of the Palestinians. But he doesn’t have a history of saying racist things about them either. He is not a part of the anti-war movement, but he doesn’t smear them as far-right extremists. This is what he said in March about the pro-Palestine Uncommitted movement: ‘These folks are asking for a change in course. They’re asking for more pressure to be put on. People are frustrated, but it bodes well for me that they’re actively engaged to go out and cast this vote and ask for change.’”[17]
Zunes, on the other hand, doesn’t reach a conclusion—his summation includes both the damnable and the laudable—but seems to think that most of the really horrible stuff is in the more distant past.[18] I guess that makes two creditable but very tentative votes in Harris’ favor.
Update, August 7, 2024: This is a correct way to teach about genocide: In his Master’s thesis, Tim Walz argues “that the lessons of the ‘Jewish Holocaust’ should be taught ‘in the greater context of human rights abuses,’ rather than as a unique historical anomaly or as part of a larger unit on World War II. ‘To exclude other acts of genocide severely limited students’ ability to synthesize the lessons of the Holocaust and the ability to apply them elsewhere,’ he wrote.
“He then took a position that he noted was ‘controversial’ among Holocaust scholars: that the Holocaust should not be taught as unique, but used to help students identify ‘clear patterns’ with other historical genocides like the Armenian and Rwandan genocides.”[19]
Walz reportedly also put a stop to a practice of teaching about the Holocaust by having freshman high school students wear gold stars and the seniors persecute them as Gestapo—it should be no surprise that these “lessons” got seriously out of hand.[20] Again, Walz was absolutely correct.
What does this say about Walz’ or Harris’ views on the Gaza genocide? Not a lot, but it does suggest that Walz approaches the issue from a correct direction.
And we remain unlikely to hear a solid answer until after the election. It drives me nuts that the best political advice I could offer Harris, and now Walz, is maintain strategic ambiguity over the issue when I’m trying to avoid voting for genocide. And the media is collaborating, at least in effect, having moved on to the whole drama of Biden, Harris, and Walz in the November election.[21]
But “[w]hile Gaza Health Ministry estimates of deaths are nearly 40,000, The Lancet applies a more comprehensive analysis to account for people indirectly killed by the siege on Gaza, and places that ghastly number of deaths at 186,000 Palestinians killed.”[22] Even the wait for a solid answer enables genocide, rendering my political advice immoral even if, in Stephen Zunes’ words, Harris needs “to find a balance between asserting their own agenda and not appearing disloyal by contradicting their President’s positions.”[23]
Update, August 8, 2024: The story really is in the headline of a Washington Post article: “Harris responds to Michigan rally protesters: ‘I’m speaking.’” As I’ve previously noted, a segment of the left considers Kamala Harris fully complicit in the Gaza genocide. This segment is now disrupting Harris’ rallies as they did Joe Biden’s before he stepped aside.[24]
But my question remains unanswered: Harris does not seem to have said anything one way or the other on Gaza at the rally in Michigan, the state with the U.S.’s largest Muslim population. She instead berated the protesters with “the other guy is worse,” [25] the usual Democratic Party campaign theme.
The reaction I’m seeing on social media is apoplectic. If Harris thought a #VoteBlueNoMatterWho line would work with today’s (real, not fake) progressives, she’s in for a shock.
Harris is likely accustomed to dealing with fake progressives, who enable the Democratic Party’s enabling of Republicans. Real progressives are unimpressed. And if she wants the latter group’s votes, she’d better learn the difference.
Update, August 10, 2024: I think there’s a real question as to how long Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can maintain that “strategic ambiguity” about the genocide in Gaza. So I’m watching for a shift in Joe Biden administration policy—I’m not expecting it to happen, in which case this is yet more of the same—but I’m watching:
“President Joe Biden and other U.S. and global officials have criticized [Binyamin] Netanyahu’s far-right allies in the past, including after Oct. 7. But the pointedness of National Security Council spokesman John Kirby’s remarks in a call Friday with reporters reflects how deeply Biden is invested in talks taking place next week to wrap up a ceasefire-for-hostages deal. Kirby accused [Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich of endangering hostages’ lives.”[26]
Update, August 23, 2024:In accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, Kamala Harris has now made clear that she is no departure from anything reprehensible about the Democrats, including Joe Biden’s support for genocide.[27]
[1] Lily Greenberg Call, “I worked to elect Kamala Harris. She must break with Biden on Israel and Palestine,” Guardian, July 23, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/23/kamala-harris-israel-palestine-policy-election; Jeremy Scahill, “Can Kamala Harris Wipe the Blood Off Her Hands?” Drop Site, July 22, 2024,
[2] Edward-Isaac Dovere, “Harris steps out on Israel as she navigates Biden and Netanyahu,” Cable News Network, July 25, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/25/politics/kamala-harris-israel-policy/index.html
[3] Vaughn Hillyard and Allan Smith, “Trump breaks silence on Israel's military campaign in Gaza: ‘Finish the problem,’” NBC News, March 5, 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-israel-gaza-finish-problem-rcna141905
[4] Eugene Daniels and Holly Otterbein, “Kamala Harris pushes White House to be more sympathetic toward Palestinians,” Politico, December 14, 2023, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/14/kamala-harris-gaza-palestinians-00131633
[5] Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, and Rachael Bade, “The endorsement Kamala Harris was waiting for,” Politico, July 26, 2024, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2024/07/26/the-endorsement-kamala-harris-was-waiting-for-00171347
[6] Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, and Rachael Bade, “The endorsement Kamala Harris was waiting for,” Politico, July 26, 2024, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2024/07/26/the-endorsement-kamala-harris-was-waiting-for-00171347
[7] Anna Orso, “Josh Shapiro once wrote that peace ‘will never come’ to the Middle East. He says his views have changed over 30 years,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 2024, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/josh-shapiro-israel-gaza-peace-column-vice-president-20240802.html
[8] Karen Attiah, “The colonial history of Israel-Palestine: Bringing the receipts,” Washington Post, November 3, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/03/colonial-history-britain-israel/
[9] Campbell Robertson, Christopher Mele, and Sabrina Tavernise, “11 Killed in Synagogue Massacre; Suspect Charged With 29 Counts,” New York Times, October 27, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/27/us/active-shooter-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting.html
[10] Jeremy Scahill, “Can Kamala Harris Wipe the Blood Off Her Hands?” Drop Site, July 22, 2024,
[11] Anna Orso, “Josh Shapiro once wrote that peace ‘will never come’ to the Middle East. He says his views have changed over 30 years,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 2024, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/josh-shapiro-israel-gaza-peace-column-vice-president-20240802.html
[12] Lily Greenberg Call, “I worked to elect Kamala Harris. She must break with Biden on Israel and Palestine,” Guardian, July 23, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/23/kamala-harris-israel-palestine-policy-election; Jeremy Scahill, “Can Kamala Harris Wipe the Blood Off Her Hands?” Drop Site, July 22, 2024,
[13] Stephen Zunes, “Will Kamala Break With Joe on Israel?” Progressive, July 26, 2024, https://progressive.org/latest/will-kamala-break-with-joe-on-israel-zunes-20240726/
[14] Stephen Zunes, “Will Kamala Break With Joe on Israel?” Progressive, July 26, 2024, https://progressive.org/latest/will-kamala-break-with-joe-on-israel-zunes-20240726/
[15] Stephen Zunes, “Will Kamala Break With Joe on Israel?” Progressive, July 26, 2024, https://progressive.org/latest/will-kamala-break-with-joe-on-israel-zunes-20240726/
[16] Julia Terruso et al., “Kamala Harris picks Tim Walz as running mate, passing over Josh Shapiro,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 6, 2024, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/kamala-harris-vice-president-running-mate-tim-walz-20240806.html
[17] Mehdi Hasan, “Harris Did the Right Thing: She Picked Walz and Rejected Shapiro,” Zeteo, August 6, 2024,
[18] Stephen Zunes, “Will Kamala Break With Joe on Israel?” Progressive, July 26, 2024, https://progressive.org/latest/will-kamala-break-with-joe-on-israel-zunes-20240726/
[19] Andrew Lapin, “Tim Walz wrote a master’s thesis on Holocaust education, just as his own school’s approach drew criticism,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, August 6, 2024, https://www.jta.org/2024/08/06/politics/tim-walz-wrote-a-masters-thesis-on-holocaust-education-just-as-his-own-schools-approach-drew-criticism?mpweb=1161-75781-13725
[20] Andrew Lapin, “Tim Walz wrote a master’s thesis on Holocaust education, just as his own school’s approach drew criticism,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, August 6, 2024, https://www.jta.org/2024/08/06/politics/tim-walz-wrote-a-masters-thesis-on-holocaust-education-just-as-his-own-schools-approach-drew-criticism?mpweb=1161-75781-13725
[21] Qasim Rashid, “Media Moves On While Netanyahu Continues To Bomb Palestinians,” Let’s Address This, August 7, 2024,
[22] Qasim Rashid, “Media Moves On While Netanyahu Continues To Bomb Palestinians,” Let’s Address This, August 7, 2024,
[23] Stephen Zunes, “Will Kamala Break With Joe on Israel?” Progressive, July 26, 2024, https://progressive.org/latest/will-kamala-break-with-joe-on-israel-zunes-20240726/
[24] Toluse Olorunnipa, Kelsey Ables, and Yasmeen Abutaleb, “Harris responds to Michigan rally protesters: ‘I’m speaking,’” Washington Post, August 8, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/07/kamala-harris-rally-protesters-palestinian/
[25] Toluse Olorunnipa, Kelsey Ables, and Yasmeen Abutaleb, “Harris responds to Michigan rally protesters: ‘I’m speaking,’” Washington Post, August 8, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/07/kamala-harris-rally-protesters-palestinian/
[26] Ron Kampeas, “White House names Bezalel Smotrich as obstacle to ceasefire deal, says he is ‘jeopardizing’ hostage lives,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, August 9, 2024, https://www.jta.org/2024/08/09/politics/white-house-names-bezalel-smotrich-as-obstacle-to-ceasefire-deal-says-he-is-jeopardizing-hostage-lives
[27] David Benfell, “The 'Lesser Evil,'” Not Housebroken, August 23, 2024, https://nothousebroken.substack.com/p/the-lesser-evil