Pro-Palestinian groups apply the pressure to Harris, want break with Biden on Israel

Pro-Palestinian activists are hoping that Vice President Kamala Harris goes all in on a Gaza ceasefire during her debate Tuesday with former President Donald Trump.

Speaking with Newsweek, the pro-Palestinian group Emgage Action said they need Harris to “demonstrate a clear understanding of the violence in Gaza and offer real policy solutions” — namely a ceasefire and “end to the violence and bloodshed in Gaza.”

“The Muslim American community feels heartbroken by President Biden’s handling of the crisis,” the group added. “To win over pro-Palestinian voters, Harris should make a strong commitment to ending the violence, supporting a ceasefire, and reassess current U.S. policy including the need to condition aid to Israel that is in line with our own laws and adhere to international human rights standards.”

The group reportedly recognizes that Harris making a “complete departure” from President Joe Biden’s stance on Israel “may not be likely,” but are hopeful the debate will at least present Harris with the chance to “offer a more nuanced stance that could resonate with voters, particularly among the pro-Palestinian movements and the broader Muslim and Arab American communities.”

“Calling for the conditioning of aid to Israel based on compliance with U.S. law and international human rights standards would be a significant step in distinguishing herself from the Administration’s current policy without entirely breaking from it,” the group said.

The Biden administration has for its part reportedly already dismissed the idea of achieving a ceasefire before the end of the year:

Anne Danehy, a professor at Boston University’s College of Communications, told Newsweek that during Tuesday’s debate, Harris needs to “stay consistent” with her past statements about Israel/Gaza while simultaneously walking a fine line to avoid alienating either Israelis or Palestinians and all while not appearing like a flip-flopper.

“This could be a really good opportunity for her to define herself and to show leadership,” Danehy said. “To show the U.S. what her plan is, how the U.S. can help in terms of facilitating dialogue and supporting peace initiatives. Talking about her long-term solutions, and the two-state solutions, and the need for a ceasefire.”

Democrat strategist Jay Townsend meanwhile agreed that it’s unlikely the VP will “make a clean break with Biden’s approach” but suggested she may “emphasize that protecting Israel requires that Israel sit at the negotiating table with other countries in the region (Saudi Arabia), and be willing to consider reasonable proposals to ensure a lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Townsend, who’s evidently a leftist, also urged Harris to highlight Trump’s allegedly failed record at not striking a Middle East peace deal.

“The United States had the opportunity to broker one, but few countries ever thought that Trump would serve as an honest broker, use the leverage he had to bring other parties to the table or make an agreement stick after agreements were signed,” Townsend said.

Of course, Trump did in reality broker a peace deal — the Abraham Accords.

All this comes days after Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies director Mohamad Bazzi penned a column for The Guardian also urging Harris to separate herself from Biden when it comes to the Israel-Gaza war.

“While Harris insists that she wants a ceasefire, she has gotten bogged down in a semantic debate about whether she would support an arms embargo against Israel,” he wrote. “Harris has made clear she won’t break with the Biden administration’s policy on supplying Israel with weapons without any conditions. But Harris doesn’t need to impose a full-scale embargo on Israel.”

“There’s a simpler path for Harris to reverse the past 11 months of US complicity in Israel’s brutal war on Gaza: declare that she will suspend arms shipments to Israel because American law requires the US to halt weapons transfers to militaries that are committing human rights violations. Biden has refused to enforce these regulations since Israel launched its assault on Gaza, killing more than 40,000 Palestinians, displacing nearly 90% of the territory’s population at least once, and instigating a widespread famine,” he added.

Vivek Saxena

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