Editor of Jerusalem Post: Harris ‘Would be a Disaster for Israel and the Jewish People’

It’s clear where her loyalties lie.

by Hugh Fitzgerald | August 23, 2024

Zvika Klein is a well-respected Israeli journalist of long-standing; he’s now the editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post. Klein been looking into the Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, and is deeply troubled by what he’s discovered. He believes that if she were to become President, it would be a “disaster for Israel and the Jewish people.” More on his qualms about the energetic glad-hander from San Francisco can be found here: “Editor’s Notes: Harris as president could be a disaster for Israel and the Jewish people,” by Zvika Klein, Jerusalem Post, August 8, 2024:

The story begins on a tense summer afternoon on Wednesday in Detroit, where Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, was making a campaign stop. The atmosphere was charged as she arrived at an airport hangar, where she was met not only by her supporters but also by the founders of the Uncommitted National Movement, Abbas Alawieh and Layla Elabed.

This extreme group had been mobilizing Arab American voters in Michigan to withhold their support for President Joe Biden due to his stance on Israel and Gaza. During this brief encounter, a tearful Elabed pleaded with Harris to consider an arms embargo on Israel, citing the devastating impact of Israeli military actions on her community in Gaza. Harris, attempting to show empathy and maintain political balance, assured the group that her campaign would continue to engage with their concerns. This ambiguous response left room for interpretation, leading to a media frenzy and heated debates about her proper stance on the issue.

Harris’s willingness to entertain an arms embargo, as suggested during her Detroit meeting, is not an isolated incident. Over the years, her actions and statements have consistently raised alarms about her commitment to Israel. In February 2019, when Rep. Ilhan Omar used antisemitic tropes by suggesting that American support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins” and accusing American Jews of having “allegiance to a foreign country,” Harris’s response was disturbingly tepid. Instead of unequivocally condemning Omar’s statements, Harris expressed concern that the criticism might endanger Omar, thus failing to denounce the antisemitic rhetoric within her party firmly.

Harris’s support for the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) is another contentious point. In 2015, she supported the agreement, which many critics argue empowers Iran, a significant threat to Israel. Rejoining the JCPOA aligns Harris with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which has increasingly taken a hostile stance toward Israel. This alignment is deeply troubling for those who believe that the deal does not sufficiently prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

“In stark contrast, while Donald Trump is unpredictable and controversial, his track record regarding Israel was consistently strong: he facilitated the Abraham Accords, acknowledged the Golan Heights as part of Israel, and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. His actions have strengthened Israel’s position and security in the region.

Harris, by contrast, could be a disaster for Israel and the Jewish people. This is a pivotal moment in history, and the choice made at the ballot box will resonate far beyond American borders….

Harris’ not refusing outright the idea of an arms embargo on Israel, her support for the Iran deal that has provided Tehran with billions to spend on its nuclear program, her close ties to the anti-Israel “progressives” in the Democratic Party — that is, the Squad — whose members are adamantly anti-Israel, her call for a Palestinian state, her unwillingness to come to Israel’s defense when the Jewish state was described at one of her political gatherings as committing “ethnic genocide,” are all cause for alarm. Her choice of Tim Walz as her running mate, when he has befriended such malevolent people as imam Asad Zaman, who refuses to condemn the October 7 attack, and has praised a movie favorable to Hitler, is worrisome, Walz even provided $100,000 in taxpayer money to the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, which is run by Asad Zaman. None of this disturbing stuff apparently fazed Kamala Harris, who happily chose Walz as her running mate.

If anyone thinks that Kamala Harris will be “good for the Jews” and not bad for Israel because “her husband is Jewish,” Zvika Klein’s piece ought to make that person think again.