A Jewish acquaintance I’ve known for 13 years took to social media to blast Vice President Kamala Harris for not attending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress.
Most of the time I refrain from commenting on political posts, but I decided to remind this person that J.D. Vance was also skipping the speech.
Not to mention, the numerous Israelis who were outside the Capitol protesting Bibi.
His response was that I basically am not Jewish if I vote for Harris.
I deal with enough Jew haters. The last thing I need is someone Jewish telling me my Jewishness isn’t valid because I won’t join the Trump cult.
And anyway, if disliking Bibi means you’re anti-Israel, then over half of Israeli Jews are anti-Israel.
After watching Netanyahu’s speech myself, I wish I had skipped it as well.
Netanyahu sounded like he was at a political chest-beating rally more than offering any real hope or signs Israel wanted to achieve peace. Not once did he mention how Palestinians deserve their own nation and how he hoped that could be achieved after Hamas.
Did Bibi think his speech would do anything to change the world for the better?
Kamala isn’t anti-Israel just because she attended a campaign event instead of listening to an Israeli version of a Trump rally. She has continuously supported U.S. aid to Israel and has met with family members of the hostages taken by Hamas.
During the “Fight for Our Freedoms” College Tour, Harris was asked a question that implied Israel was committing genocide and Harris, while empathizing with Palestinian suffering, stood firm that Hamas was unjustified in their terror campaign.
Harris has been very outspoken about the sexual abuse and rapes that Hamas perpetrated on October 7, even while college protestors deny these hard facts. She even took time out of her packed schedule to screen a documentary about it. In Kamala’s words: “We cannot look away and we will not be silent.”
Yes, Kamala has advocated for more aid for Gazan civilians and spoken about the bad conditions, but she’s never wavered in her stance that “the threat that Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated.”
And yes, Harris has called for a ceasefire. Yes, she’s been outspoken that Palestinian civilian death should be avoided. She’s expressed, in her words, “deep concern” for the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
She’s been clear that “Israel and the Israeli People and the Palestinians are entitled to an equal amount of security and dignity.”
But it isn’t a denial of Israeli humanity to care about Palestinians and advocate for their humanity as well.
Society has devolved into very selfish corners these past 8 years and it has to stop.
Harris’s Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, has been instrumental in combatting the rise in antisemitism for the Biden administration this past year:
“When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or identity, and when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that’s antisemitism and it must be condemned — and condemned unequivocally and without context.”
Since joining the Senate in 2017, Harris was a frequent advocate of the U.S. relationship with Israel.
One of her first speeches as a Senator was to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, where she boasted that she had introduced a resolution condemning the U.N.’s attempt to force Israel to agree to things without a negotiated peace agreement with the Palestinians.
“Peace can only come through a reconciliation of differences and that can only happen at the negotiating table,” Harris said. She knew that peace wasn’t some magic wand you wave.
Harris even encouraged her Jewish husband to install mezuzahs on the presidential residence. Those are verses from the Bible Jews post on their doorposts.
Even after she missed Netanyahu’s speech, a top aid reiterated that Harris still stands strong that Israel has a right to defend itself and condemns the October 7 attack in the strongest possible terms.
All while stressing the need for an improvement to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Harris’s stance is no different than what most American Jews, 75% of whom will vote for her, believe.
That Israel has a right to survive and thrive. That Israel has an absolute right to defend itself. That Jews have a right to be in their ancestral homeland.
AND that Palestinians likewise deserve dignity. They also deserve a home. And they deserve our compassion.
I prefer leaders who have the capacity to love more than just one group.