Why Electing Kamala Harris is Pro-Israel

I have encountered many American Jews recently who have told me some version of: I don’t like Trump, but I feel obligated to vote for him because of Israel.

I want to argue that, in fact, if Israel is one’s primary voting concern, Kamala Harris is the more appealing choice.

First of all, Trump is known to be self-interested and fickle. Even if he supports Israel at the moment, there is no reason to think that he will not change his mind the moment supporting Israel seems contrary to his self-interest.

Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has stood up to the anti-Israel wing of the Democratic Party, at great political cost to herself, showing that she is willing to support Israel even when there is a price to pay.

Many of those touting Trump’s pro-Israel bonafides point to his policies during his time as president, but many of the advisors who led those policies, most notably, Jared Kushner, are no longer closely impacting Trump’s policy and are not expected to play an important role if Trump wins a second time around.

Trump has made some statements saying he wants Israel to end the war quickly and in the past few days, has been campaigning with pro-Palestinian activists who want an end to the war. Harris meanwhile, has remained steadfast in affirming a continuation of the Biden policy of continuing military aid to Israel, thereby allowing it to continue the war, while also expressing concern for the humanitarian condition of Palestinians in Gaza and supporting hostage deal/cease-fire negotiations. For those who believe it is in Israel’s self-interest to continue the current war, or at least, to be free from US pressure to end the war, there are legitimate concerns that Harris’s tune may change if the deterioration in the humanitarian plight in Gaza continues, and she certainly does see a negotiated cease-fire, with the release of those held hostage by Hamas, as a policy goal. At the same time, Trump does not seem to be a solid choice, as he has had very mixed messages about the war and more recently been veering towards a firm anti-war stance. Yet Trump’s anti-war stance, unlike that of Harris, is not predicated on Hamas releasing Israeli hostages.

Most importantly, America can only be an effective ally to Israel if America itself is not only stable, but also, retains its position as the world’s preeminent superpower. Israel is better off with a president, for 4 or 8 years, who is slightly less friendly to it, but continues the military aid, and keeps America strong, than a president who drives America to the ground, even if that president loves Israel. After all, what will American support be worth to Israel if America has no more money, diplomatic power, or military might? This means it could be in Israel’s long-term interest to elect an anti-Israel president if the other choice is a pro-Israel president who would ruin America. There would be a short-term cost to preserve a long-term gain. It’s possible that this moment is one such time.

For all of the reasons mentioned above, I believe that electing Kamala Harris is the more pro-Israel choice.