Just how many Palestinian deaths are acceptable to the Democratic Party ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz? From Harris’s speech at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 23 and her interview with CNN on Aug. 29, it appears that there is no limit.
Union Square rally, New York City, Sept. 2, 2024. (WW Photo: Brenda Ryan)
While Harris has replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party presidential candidate, it is crystal clear that she has not changed one iota of his foreign policies, especially when it comes to the U.S. support and funding of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. “Genocide Joe” has simply been replaced by “Killer Kamala.”
The Democratic Party and Harris are caught in a contradiction they are unable to resolve. They can’t at the same time defend U.S. imperialism and Israel and take a position against Israel’s occupation of Palestine. When claiming to be concerned about the loss of lives in Gaza, Harris speaks out of both sides of her mouth.
In her convention remarks, Harris said: “And let me be clear. I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.”
Making it clear that she supports Israel’s “right to exist,” she went on to condemn the Palestinian resistance, most notably Hamas. She essentially pledged to continue to arm Israel to the teeth, enabling it to carry out genocide.
However, as vice president of the U.S., Harris should know that the provisions of the United Nations Charter give Palestinians the right to defend themselves against Israel’s occupation of their land in Gaza and the West Bank. The very existence of Israel and its actions in the expansion of illegal settlements violates several historic provisions of international law as well as the recent rulings of the United Nations International Court of Justice.
On July 19, the ICJ stated that Israel should stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its “illegal” occupation of those areas and the Gaza Strip as soon as possible. In a landmark opinion, the U.N.’s top court has said Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories violates international law.
If Harris chooses to ignore the international courts, as vice president she is obligated to uphold U.S. federal law that clearly states that countries receiving U.S. military support must meet human rights standards or risk losing their funding.
The Foreign Assistance Act states that no assistance can be provided to any country “which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” The Leahy Law prohibits providing weapons to “a foreign country if the secretary of state has credible information that such a unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.”
If intentional genocide against 2.3 million people in Gaza is not a “gross violation,” then what is?
The news medium Mondoweiss wrote on Aug.31: “According to a recent Israeli Defense Ministry report, the U.S. has sent over 50,000 tons of arms and military equipment to Israel since October 7, an average of two arms shipments per day.”
Harris and the Democratic Party leadership also continue to ignore public opinion polls, including frequent CBS News surveys that found that 60% of the U.S. population and 77% of Democratic voters are demanding the U.S. impose an arms embargo on Israel. (tinyurl.com/yc34t3wt)
But neither Harris nor her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, will alter U.S. imperialism’s tight relationship with the Israeli state just because the public objects. Nor do they care one iota about saving lives in Gaza. No to Trump! No to Harris! No vote for genocide!