Kamala Harris says she will not stop arming Israel

New York, NT Bureau: Kamala Harris vowed a tougher approach to migration along the U.S. southern border and said she would not withhold weapons to Israel, in her first interview with a major news organization since becoming the Democratic nominee for president.

In the interview with CNN anchor Dana Bash, Harris sought to show she is in command of the issues and give Americans a sense of her policy positions with little more than two months until Election Day on Nov. 5.

She hewed closely to President Joe Biden’s strong support of Israel and rejected calls from some in the Democratic Party that Washington should rethink sending weapons to Israel because of the heavy Palestinian death toll in Gaza.

She said she supports a strong Israel but “we must get a deal done” to get a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict. “No, we have to get a (ceasefire and hostage) deal done,” Harris said when asked if she would withhold weapons to Israel.

She has been Biden’s vice president since the start of his administration. Abbas Alawieh, a cofounder of the Uncommitted National Movement that has protested against Biden’s policy, expressed frustration over Harris’ response on Gaza.

“If the vice president is interested in a ceasefire, she must support an immediate stop to sending the fire,” Alawieh said.

Activists have repeatedly called on Harris to turn away from the policies of the Biden administration and embrace an arms embargo on Israel.

“Adopting an arms embargo against Israel’s assault on Gaza is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic move to defeat Trump and MAGA extremism. It is difficult for the Democratic candidate to champion democracy while arming Netanyahu’s authoritarian regime” reads a recent letter to Harris from the coalition Not Another Bomb.

The Biden administration has sent Israel over 50,000 tons of weapons since its assault on Gaza began last year. Earlier this month it approved an additional $20 billion in arms sales to the country, just days before ceasefire talks were set to resume.