Vice President Harris will be notably absent from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, a move some Republicans called “petty.”
But the move could have the potential to show some daylight between her and President Biden when it comes to the Israeli leader.
Harris, now rapidly consolidating support as the likely Democratic nominee after Biden dropped out of the race, has been seen as more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause compared to the commander in chief, who has been followed around the country by protesters demanding an end to the war.
As vice president, Harris would traditionally preside over a joint session involving a foreign leader’s address. But instead, she will be on the road in Indiana — opting not to change her preexisting plans.
The move could further solidify support from young, minority and more progressive voters who polls shows have been more sympathetic to the cause.
For starters, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said recently that Harris “has a deep empathy for the situation of Palestinian Americans,” adding, “it’s more natural to her.”
Yet the decision also comes with some risks, as Republicans are likely to point to Harris’s absence as an unnecessary snub of a key U.S. ally, something former President Trump’s campaign is certain to echo.
“VPOTUS Harris’s snub of Netanyahu is petty and disrespectful,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), said Monday on the social platform X.
Harris, 59, is of a different generation than Biden, the 81-year-old president whose fiercely pro-Israel stance was increasingly out of step with young Democrats.
Allies say that as a woman of Black and South Asian descent, Harris is naturally more sympathetic to Palestinians, even if she has backed Biden’s support of Israel in the war with Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S.
“The vice president’s language from the beginning has been inclusive of both Israeli security and the plight of the Palestinians. That has been well-regarded by people on both sides of the Israel debate,” a Harris ally said.
Harris most notably had a breakout moment on the issue during a March speech in Selma, Ala., to mark the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in which she began her remarks addressing the war, where she called the situation in Gaza “devastating” and a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
Those were some of the most pointed words coming out of the administration since the start of the war at the time. Harris received several rounds of applause during her remarks, while Biden was often met with silence or protesters when he addressed the issue.
Harris joins progressive lawmakers including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) who have said they will not attend Netanyahu’s address. In Harris’s place in the chamber seat will be Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee who is retiring. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would have also presided in her leadership role, but she also declined to do so.
Harris will instead meet with Netanyahu in a separate meeting from Biden’s on Thursday, according to her office. Her office said she is unable to preside over the joint session because of the previously scheduled Wednesday trip to Indianapolis.
One of the key things that remains to be seen is how Harris will be received by a bevy of voters who launched a cohesive campaign to cast protest votes against Biden in the Democratic primary over his war policy.
Biden lost more than half a million voters to the “uncommitted” movement in this year’s Democratic primaries, numbers that underscored frustration within his own party over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
The organization “Abandon Biden,” which helped mobilize the protest votes, said they are open to meeting with Harris’s office before they determine whether to protest her candidacy as well.
“With this unexpected transformational change, we think it’s only fair to at least have the opportunity for Kamala Harris to clarify what her policy will be if she where to become president,” Hassan Abdel Salam, an Abandon Biden co-founder and sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, told The Hill.
But he added that the “signs” the group are seeing is that Harris “wishes to follow the policy that Biden presided over.”
Joseph Geevarghese, Our Revolution executive director, also said progressives are hesitant to assume a Harris administration will be harsher on Israel but consider her not presiding over Netanyahu’s address as a step in the direction they want to see her go.
“VP Harris’s decision to skip Netanyahu’s address is a positive step, reflecting the growing momentum of our pro-peace movement. However, this alone is not sufficient — we need a monumental shift in our foreign policy,” he said.
An aide to the vice president said she has had an “unwavering commitment to the security of Israel” and has been engaged with Israeli officials since the Oct. 7 attacks, speaking “regularly” with President Isaac Herzog.
The aide noted she “repeatedly condemned Hamas’s brutal attack on Oct. 7 and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” which echoes Biden’s stance on the conflict. She is also expected to “reiterate her deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the loss of innocent life,” the aide said.
With that rhetoric, she hasn’t gone as far as some lawmakers.
Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D), a progressive lawmaker who said she was “proud” to vote uncommitted in the Michigan primary, called it disgraceful that Netanyahu would be addressing Congress.
Generation Z voters, many of whom consider the war in Gaza a top issue for them after protests across college campuses took place in the spring, are excited about Harris but worried about whether she will satisfy their demands on Gaza.
Meanwhile, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, has been leading efforts out of the administration to combat antisemitism. He also called Jewish leaders at Columbia University as pro-Palestinian protests shut down the campus last April.
Harris’s meeting with Netanyahu this week could ease concerns among voters angered by Biden’s handling of the war and give her yet another boost this week if progressives can see her candidacy as a fresh start on Middle East policy.
“Not being responsible for the situation in Gaza will help the vice president bring Democrats back to the fold who have been upset for the last few months about the issue,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, who worked for Harris until last year.