During the presidential candidates' debate on September 10, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris engaged in a heated exchange about Israel and its actions in Gaza. However, their disagreement wasn’t about whether Israel should continue its actions but rather how it should proceed with its military offensive, which critics have characterized as genocidal.
Trump set the stage with a provocative claim, saying, "She [Harris] hates Israel. If she's president, I believe Israel will not exist within two years from now." He added that under his leadership, he urged Israel to "finish the job" while ensuring media coverage was restricted.
In response, Harris fervently denied the accusation. "That's absolutely not true. I have my entire career and life supported Israel and the Israeli people," she asserted, accusing Trump of sowing division and distraction from his perceived failures in foreign policy and national security.
Despite Harris’s strong defense of her support for Israel, her rhetoric fails to conceal her administration’s involvement in the ongoing conflict. While she claims to be working tirelessly for a ceasefire, the Biden-Harris administration has continued to provide vast military support to Israel, reinforcing its position as a dominant force in the Middle East. Weapons supplied by the U.S. have contributed to the devastation, with U.S. leaders turning a blind eye to the consequences of these actions.
On the same day as the debate, Israel dropped massive bombs on civilians in Gaza, killing Palestinians who had taken shelter in a designated “safe zone.” The Biden-Harris administration, while verbally supporting ceasefire efforts, has deflected blame away from Israel’s leadership and misrepresented the true obstacles to peace.
Harris’s statements highlight the contradiction within her position. While she insists on Israel's right to defend itself, she weakly adds that "how it does so matters." However, the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza underlines the tragic reality of U.S.-backed military operations that have left countless innocent civilians dead.
Both Trump and Harris, in their own ways, continue to support policies that enable Israel's aggressive actions, contributing to an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
