Kamala Takes Aim At Biden Over Israel Policy She Once Defended

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is faulting the Biden administration for failing to pressure Israel more aggressively during the war in Gaza, saying it should have acted “sooner and more forcefully” — while also accusing President Donald Trump of giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “blank check.”

Harris made the remarks Wednesday in Seoul during a foreign-policy speech at South Korea’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, where she discussed America’s global leadership and its relationships with allies.

“It is in our interest to hold our allies accountable for their share of global defense, to ensure trade benefits American workers and consumers, and to uphold our moral obligation to human rights and international law,” Harris said.

“To be sure, America has at times fallen short on that one,” she continued. “Most recently, the failure to use our leverage to curtail the Israeli government’s horrific conduct in the war in Gaza, both under the current administration, which offers Netanyahu a blank check, and our administration before, where we should have acted sooner and more forcefully.”

The remarks are a much sharper public criticism of the Biden administration’s Israel policy than Harris typically offered during the 2024 campaign, when she sought to express sympathy for Palestinians while maintaining that Israel had a right to defend itself.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Harris faced pressure from left-wing activists and Arab American voters who wanted the United States to condition or suspend military assistance to Israel over its conduct in Gaza. The Uncommitted movement gained particular traction in Michigan, a battleground state with a large Arab American population, where more than 100,000 Democratic primary voters selected “uncommitted” in February to protest Biden’s handling of the war.

After Biden withdrew from the presidential race and Harris became the Democratic nominee, activists hoped she would adopt a different approach. But Harris stopped short of endorsing an arms embargo on Israel.

Following a July 2024 meeting with Netanyahu, Harris said the situation in Gaza was “devastating,” citing the deaths of civilians and the repeated displacement of families. She also declared that she would not remain silent about the suffering.

At the same time, Harris repeatedly affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself and backed efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

In an August 2024 CNN interview, Harris was asked directly whether she would withhold weapons shipments to Israel if elected president. She responded that her commitment to Israel’s defense was “unequivocal and unwavering,” adding that how Israel exercised its right to defend itself mattered. 

In September 2024, the Uncommitted National Movement announced it would not endorse Harris, arguing that she had not committed to ending what it described as unconditional U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. The group nevertheless opposed a Trump presidency and urged voters not to support third-party candidates who could help him win.

Since her defeat to Trump, Harris has reached out to anti-Israel leftists, including New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and met with Abbas Alawieh, a co-founder of the Uncommitted movement.