Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign issued a statement Wednesday evening walking back an earlier comment she made about being open to discussing an arms embargo on Israel in exchange for votes from Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan. The New York Times reported that before her rally in Detroit, Vice President Harris spoke briefly with the co-founders of the Uncommitted National Movement, which had mobilized tens of thousands of Michigan voters to withhold their support from President Joe Biden earlier this year due to his stance on Israel’s war in Gaza.
Harris listened as the leaders recounted stories of people in Michigan who have lost dozens of family members in Gaza. The co-founders requested a meeting to discuss an arms embargo, and Harris expressed her willingness to consider it before introducing them to her staff. Later during her speech, she was heckled by pro-Palestinian protestors.
This incident serves as the latest example of a shift in policy against Israel from Harris’s side. In March, she appeared to break with President Joe Biden in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Furthermore, earlier this week, she passed over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, in favor of anti-Israel Democrats who opposed him.
Harris’s campaign later issued a statement on Wednesday evening to address the controversy (via Yashar Ali.
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 statement did not specify whether all hostages should be released or if Hamas must disarm and leave power in Gaza. The fact that Harris’s off-the-cuff remarks to anti-Israel activists caused the campaign some headaches may reinforce her advisers’ reluctance to allow her to speak to journalists or the public in an unscripted manner.
It has been 18 days since she joined the 2024 presidential race, and she has thus far declined to do interviews or press conferences. In response to the Harris campaign’s statement, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer declined to comment, citing the principle of non-intervention in domestic politics during elections. He emphasized the importance of maintaining bipartisan support for Israel in the United States and highlighted that both Iran and the United States are threatened by Iran.