Posted on 07/24/24
| News Source: The Hill
Vice President Harris will be notably absent from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, a move that some Republicans called “petty.”
But the move could have the potential to show some daylight between her and President Biden when it comes to the Israeli leader.
Harris, now rapidly consolidating support as the likely Democratic nominee after President Biden dropped out of the race, has been seen as more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause compared to the commander in chief, who has been followed around the country by protesters demanding an end to the war.
As vice president, Harris would traditionally preside over a joint session involving a foreign leader’s address. But instead, she will be on the road in Indiana — opting not to change her preexisting plans.
The move could further solidify support from young, minority and more progressive voters who polls shows have been more sympathetic to the cause.
For starters, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said recently that Harris “has a deep empathy for the situation of Palestinian Americans,” adding, “it’s more natural to her.”
Yet the decision also comes with some risks, as Republicans are likely to point to Harris’s absence as an unnecessary snub of a key U.S. ally, something former President Trump’s campaign is certain to echo.
“VPOTUS Harris’s snub of Netanyahu is petty and disrespectful,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), said Monday on the social platform X.
Harris, 59, is of a different generation than Biden, the 81-year-old president who was increasingly out of step with young Democrats on his fiercely pro-Israel stance.
Allies say that as a woman of Black and South Asian descent, Harris is naturally more sympathetic to Palestinians, even if she has backed Biden’s support of Israel in the war with Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S.
“The vice president’s language from the beginning has been inclusive of both Israeli security and the plight of the Palestinians. That has been well regarded by people on both sides of the Israel debate,” a Harris ally said.