Kamala Harris 'entirely supportive' of Biden’s decision to withhold weapons from Israel

During an interview on Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris stated she is “entirely supportive” of President Joe Biden’s decision earlier this year to withhold weapons sales from Israel. 

Speaking at an event hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists, “One of the things that we have done that I am entirely supportive of is the pause that we’ve put on the 2,000-pound bombs, so there is some leverage that we have had and used. But ultimately, the thing that is going to unlock everything else in that region is getting this [cease-fire] deal done.”

Harris gave the response when pressed about how her policy would differ from her current boss in ways that might satisfy her critics who support Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war. 

In May, Biden pledged to withhold certain weapons shipments to Israel if the US ally launched a ground offensive into the last Hamas stronghold in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Some of those weapons have since been released.

In August, before a campaign event in Michigan, Harris met with the founders of the Uncommitted National Movement, which activated tens of thousands of voters in the Wolverine State to withhold their votes from President Joe Biden in the primary because the administration supported Israel’s war against Palestinian terrorists. Minnesota and Washington had similiar initiatives.

At the time, Abbas Alawieh and Layla Elabed told The New York Times that they were in the welcoming line for Harris and told her that they wanted to support her but that the anti-Israel voters they represented wanted her to consider an arms embargo on the Jewish state.

Harris met with the group and following the meeting, the leaders of the group claimed that Harris was open to the arms embargo and had the leaders follow up with her staff. However, following massive backlash in light of Harris’ spotty record on support for Israel, a source close to Harris disputed the claim and said the vice president wasn't open to the idea.

The Harris Walz campaign then issued a statement that read, “Since October 7, the Vice President has prioritized engaging with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members and others regarding the war in Gaza. In this brief engagement, she reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with those communities. The Vice President has been clear: she will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. The Vice President is focused on securing the ceasefire and hostage deal currently on the table. As she has said, it is time for this war to end in a way where: Israel is secure, hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”