War and Kamala Harris's Dilemma

The Democrat inherits the disappointment of part of the pro-Palestinian American electorate.

After months of negotiations, no agreement was reached to end Israel's devastating military campaign in Gaza or to release the last hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th. The main points of contention in the talks, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, related to the Israeli presence in the "Philadelphia Corridor," a narrow strip of land 14.5 kilometers along Gaza's southern border with Egypt.

However, Washington continues to refuse to pressure its Israeli ally sufficiently to force a ceasefire.

President Joe Biden has played some cards to convince Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has approved arms sales worth nearly $20 billion (the transaction includes around fifty F-15 fighter jets, tens of thousands of mortar and tank shells, sophisticated air-to-air missiles, and tactical vehicles), deployed troops and military equipment in the Middle East, issued some veiled threats to his Israeli ally, and activated existing communication channels with Iran to give diplomacy in Gaza a chance.

For her part, on August 19, by authorizing a panel on Palestinian human rights at the Democratic National Convention, Kamala Harris addressed the hundreds of thousands of Democratic primary voters who voted "uncommitted" in protest against the party's stance on Israel. But the empathy shown by the Democratic camp towards the Palestinians is mere formality. Though more symbolic, the United States could, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, refuse to use its veto against resolutions condemning Israel, as it did last March.

Another issue where the U.S. position could weigh is the request for the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants related to the genocide in Gaza, particularly against Benjamin Netanyahu. But neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President and Democratic Party (DP) candidate in the elections, Kamala Harris, consider those options, much less the option of an arms embargo against Israel. Americans, for whom Gaza represents a compass in these elections, seem tempted by the Green Party, which has increased calls for a ceasefire while supporting boycott and divestment initiatives against Israel.

The surprising indifference and reluctance toward any possibility of punishing Israel reflect the moral cowardice of a large part of the U.S. political establishment and accelerate the process toward the precipice, although, paradoxically, the United States does not wish to engage today in a large-scale regional conflict. Soon, it will have to choose.

By MARTA TAWIL
Researcher at COLMEX