On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” host Katy Tur noted that it is still unclear whether Vice President Kamala Harris will have a different stance than President Joe Biden on providing military support to Israel and allowing it strategic flexibility.
During a conversation with Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Tur asked, “One other question for you, and this is about Kamala Harris and her foreign policy. Do you see it as distinct from President Biden’s foreign policy, and how so?”
Crow responded, “Well, of course, it will be distinct. She’s a different person, a different leader, with different experiences, and we’ve already seen that she is very clear. Let’s talk about the Israel
-Gaza situation, for example. She has made it very clear that Israel has a right to defend itself, which I fully agree with, but the manner in which it does so is really important. It’s important to Americans because all of our aid and support to any ally, anywhere—not just in this particular issue, but everywhere—has to align with American interests. So, she’s already signaling that her own perspective and background will shape her approach to this. And I’m frankly very excited for America to see her leadership and for her to make the case over the next couple of months about how she’s going to usher in this new era of leadership.
Tur followed up by asking, “I have questions about what she’s going to focus on, what she’ll prioritize. But since Israel and Gaza are in the news right now and on everyone’s mind, do you see her treating Israel any differently than President Biden does?”
Crow responded, “Well, as I mentioned, she has been very clear in supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, but the way it goes about it is crucial. We need to prioritize the protection of civilians and humanitarian issues. From my experience in three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, I’ve learned that you can’t fight terrorism solely through military means. You must use diplomacy and humanitarian aid. If civilian protection isn't prioritized in conflict zones, it can create more problems than it solves. For instance, if military force alone were enough, the United States would have defeated the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and ISIS after two decades of war and spending trillions of dollars. But we didn’t, right? So, the takeaway for America is that we need to prioritize the rights of all people, which is why I continue to advocate for a two-state solution.”
Tur then commented, “That aligns with what the President has been doing. I’ll save that question for another interview. I would like to understand more about whether there would be any real differences in how we arm Israel or the level of flexibility we provide them moving forward. I’m still somewhat unclear on that.”