Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris drew attention after engaging with an anti-Israel protester during a closed-door campaign event at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Thursday. The protester, who accused Israel of genocide, interrupted Harris’s talk to a group of students. While the event was closed to journalists, the exchange was captured on video and first reported by Fox News.
Just The News reports on the exchange during which the protester, wearing a keffiyeh, challenged Harris on Israel’s actions in the ongoing conflict. While the initial comment was not captured on the video, Harris’s response was.
“I know what you’re speaking of. I want a cease-fire. I want the hostage deal done. I want the war to end,” Harris responded.
“But what about the genocide? What about the genocide though?” the protester called out.
Harris maintained composure, replying, “I respect your right to speak, but I’m speaking right now,” as much of the audience cheered. Before the protester was removed, he continued, shouting, “How about the billions of dollars to Israel? What about the 19,000 children dead, and you won’t call it a genocide?”
After the protester’s removal, Harris addressed the room, seemingly acknowledging his concerns. “Listen, what he’s talking about, it’s real. That’s not the subject that I came to discuss today, but it’s real, and I respect his voice.”
The exchange quickly garnered backlash, particularly from David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Trump administration. Speaking to the New York Post, Friedman criticized Harris, stating that “Kamala Harris just publicly validated the false and vicious accusation that Israel is engaging in genocide.”
Friedman went on to say, “Many, including myself, always suspected that she held this warped, antisemitic view of Israel’s self-defense against Hamas barbarism. But the cat is now out of the bag.”
He further argued that her comments disqualify her from holding public office, stating, “Her view is as ignorant as it is malign. … To give credence publicly to this disgusting blood libel disqualifies Harris from holding any public office, let alone the presidency.”
In response to the controversy, a spokesperson for Harris’s campaign simply responded that “That is not the view of the Biden-Harris Administration or the Vice President.”
