While Harris’ positions have largely mirrored Biden’s for years, her rhetoric on Israel is coming under increasing scrutiny.
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is facing awkward questions from critics after the bodies of the six Israeli hostages were recovered overnight Sunday from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
When Israel was looking to invade Rafah earlier this year, saying it was a stronghold of Hamas militants and a haven for hostage takers, it encountered fierce opposition in the White House.
In March, Biden told MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart that a major Israeli operation in Rafah would be a « red line » for him, and the president suggested that the move could lead to a cut-off of some offensive weapons. Harris in March, « We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake. Let me tell you something, I have been studying the maps. » She also said that she would not rule out « consequences » if Israel pushed forward.
Newsweek emailed the Harris campaign Sunday night for comment. This article will be updated with any provided statements.
Hamas militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, during their invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza has resulted in over 40,000 Palestinian deaths, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between of deaths of civilians and combatants. Hamas took approximately 250 hostages including American citizens. Israel says about 100 remain with Hamas, about two thirds of whom are still alive.
In an appearance Sunday on Meet the Press, Republican Senator Tom Cotten, of Arkansas, took Biden and Harris to task over their Rafah stances.
« But I think we should note that these hostages were discovered in the tunnels under Rafah. That’s where Joe Biden and Kamala Harris put pressure on Israel not to enter for months, using arms embargo to try to keep them from entering », he said. « Kamala Harris even said that Israel shouldn’t enter Rafah because she had ‘studied the maps.' »
Cotten continued, « What the Biden-Harris administration should’ve done from the beginning is not pressure Israel to restrain its response but let Israel win from the very outset.
