Kamala Harris Told Pro-Hamas Protesters She Was Open to Discussing Arms Embargo against Israel

Vice President Kamala Harris drew headlines last night for her efforts to tamp down pro-Hamas protesters at her rally, but it seems that the real news came before the event — when she told the protesters she was open to discussing their goal of an arms embargo against Israel.

To recap, last night at a Detroit rally, protesters began chanting, “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide. We won’t vote for genocide.”

After a few interruptions, Harris scolded them, “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I am speaking.”

While this was hailed in some quarters as her rebuking the pro-Hamas activists, it wasn’t really. She didn’t tell them that it was a vile smear to claim that our ally Israel was perpetuating genocide or that the U.S., by providing them weapons, was complicit. She just essentially argued that they’d have a lower chance of getting anti-Israel policies implemented in a Trump administration than in a Harris administration.

But as Yair Rosenberg notes, there was important context before the event, when Harris met with the leading protesters:

So in other words, Harris met with these lunatics and signaled that she was open to discussing an arms embargo against Israel and referred them to her staffers to set up a meeting.

In response, Harris issued the following mealy-mouthed statement:

Since October 7, the Vice President has prioritized engaging with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members and others regarding the war in Gaza. In this brief engagement, she reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with those communities. The Vice President has been clear: she will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. The Vice President is focused on securing the ceasefire and hostage deal currently on the table. As she has said, it is time for this war to end in a way where: Israel is secure, hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.

It’s possible that Harris briefly spoke to these leaders and essentially referred them to staff as a way of blowing them off, and the leaders are blowing it up to inflate their own influence. But notice that the statement does not confirm or deny that she spoke of an arms embargo. It would be very easy to state unequivocally that she opposes such a measure.

Of course, the standard way in which these issues get clarified is that the press asks the candidate a simple question — whether she is open to an arms embargo against Israel. But that would require a candidate who is willing to take questions and a press corps that isn’t behaving as an extension of her campaign.