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Kamala Harris Boycotting Netanyahu's Speech to Congress

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  July 23, 2024 3:45 PM

Vice President Kamala Harris' treatment towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone from bad to worse. When Netanyahu arrived on Monday night in the United States for his speech before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Harris, President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were all absent. It's now been revealed that Harris will also not even be at the speech. 

Harris will not be present, according to Fox News, because she will be at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Grand Boule, an event that an aide said was previously scheduled. The vice president would normally preside over such an event, but Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will do so instead. This comes after Senate President pro tempore Patty Murray (D-WA) declined since she is boycotting the event, as Fox also mentioned.

Per the report:

Harris, who on Monday became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president following President Biden's campaign suspension, will not be in attendance at the address and will not preside. 

With Harris's absence, the task ordinarily would fall to Senate President pro tempore Patty Murray, D-Wash., but Murray reportedly refused to do so – and will instead be boycotting the address.

...

When Harris's office was asked if she would have agreed to preside over Netanyahu's address if she were going to be in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, an aide to the vice president said they would not answer hypothetical questions.

The Biden-Harris administration has taken an increasingly anti-Israel position with the Israel-Hamas war having started more than nine months ago after Hamas launched an attack on October 7 against our ally in the Middle East The terrorists slaughtered 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and also engaged in rape, torture, and kidnapping. Approximately 240 people were taken hostage. 

The Fox News report points to claims that the absence doesn't speak to a change in policy towards Israel:

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While she won't be there, an aide emphasized that Harris' absence and refusal to preside shouldn't be considered a change to her stance on Israel.

An aide to the vice president told Fox News Digital that she would be meeting with Netanyahu at the White House this week while he is in Washington, D.C. They noted that the meeting is separate from Biden’s planned meeting with the prime minister. 

Harris is expected to reiterate her commitment to Israel's ability to defend itself from Iran and militias that are backed by the country, such as terrorist groups Hizbullah and Hamas. According to the aide, Harris will once again condemn the Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israeli civilians by Hamas, as well as the sexual violence that took place. 

At the very least, it's not a good look for Harris, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee and would take Biden's place should he ultimately resign from the presidency. People are of course going to talk.

Coverage from the Washington Examiner from Monday night mentioned that such an absence "is likely an attempt to distance herself from the Biden administration’s stance on the war in Gaza, which has rattled the Democratic Party. By distancing herself from the heavily pro-Israel stance of President Joe Biden, she could help neuter attacks from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party."

Murray is also hardly the only Democrat boycotting the speech. To those members who do attend, though, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) indicated he expects them to be on their best behavior, as JustMindy at our sister site of Twitchy highlighted.

Johnson has also had strong words for Harris about her absence, not only posting about how it was "inexcusable," but pointing out that Biden had an excuse as well when Netanyahu came in 2015. The speaker also spoke to the issue during a House Republican press conference earlier on Tuesday.

The absence from Harris isn't the only alarming part of Wednesday's remarks. Tens of thousands of pro-Hamas protesters are also expected to cause a disruption. 

People have been warned to avoid Capitol Hill on Wednesday, and the Sargeant of Arms has also addressed Netanyahu's speech.

Such an absence from top Democrats stands in stark contrast to former and potentially future President Donald Trump. The Trump campaign, as Spencer covered earlier on Tuesday, announced that Netanyahu and Trump will meet at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.