Former US vice president Kamala Harris has criticised both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations for failing to use Washington’s influence to control Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, saying the US should have acted “sooner and more forcefully”.Speaking at the Asan Memorial Lecture organised by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, Harris described the failure to use American leverage to curb the Israeli government’s conduct during the war in Gaza as a major shortcoming of US policy.“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 [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu a blank check, and our administration before, where we should have acted sooner and more forcefully,” Harris said.Her remarks amounted to a criticism of the Biden administration, under which she served as vice president, as well as the current Trump administration, which she accused of giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unconditional support.
Republican Jewish Coalition hits back at Harris
Harris’s comments drew criticism from the Republican Jewish Coalition, which described her position as “unsurprising”. The group cited her absence from Netanyahu’s 2024 address to the US Congress and her opposition to legislation targeting the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.The organisation also criticised Harris for calling for a halt to Israeli military operations in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and for agreeing with a student in 2021 who accused Israel of “ethnic genocide”.Warren Kinsella, an attorney and author who worked on Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign, also expressed disappointment over her latest remarks, writing on social media that he was “ashamed to have worked with her”.
Harris says US foreign policy needs a rethink
Beyond the Gaza conflict, Harris spoke about the changing nature of American power and the need to rethink traditional approaches to foreign policy.She argued that economic innovation, markets, minerals and semiconductor technology were becoming increasingly important sources of global influence, alongside military strength.“Coming out of world wars, and into the Cold War, military might was the primary source of power,” she said. “But now more than ever, economic innovation, markets and minerals, chips and computers, have greater influence.”Harris also stressed the importance of strengthening US alliances, pointing to closer ties among China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as a development Washington and its partners needed to monitor.
Harris puts 2026 midterms ahead of 2028 presidential race
Harris expressed confidence that Democrats would win the November 2026 midterm elections but sidestepped a direct question about whether she planned to run for president in 2028.“2028, from my perspective, doesn’t matter if we don’t win 2026,” she said, indicating that the immediate priority for Democrats was the upcoming congressional elections.