Vice President Harris this week publicly agreed with a protester who stopped her from accusing Israel of committing “genocide.”
The moment occurred during a campaign event at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Thursday, when a pro-Hamas UWM student began shouting, while the Democratic presidential candidate was speaking. A video of the exchange was shown.
“I’m invested in all of you in every way,” Harris can be heard saying as the disruption begins.
“And in genocide right?” The heckler said.
“Billions of dollars in genocide. Billions of dollars in genocide.”
Someone off camera can be heard whispering “shut up”, but the anger continued.
“I’m speaking right now,” Harris said before beginning his speech. Well-worn response For similar obstacles.
“I know what you’re saying. I want a ceasefire. I want the war to end. And I respect your right to speak but I’m speaking right now.
“But what about genocide? What about genocide though? the keffiyeh-clad protester shouted.
The man was then escorted out of the hall shouting, “19,000 children are dead, and you won’t call it genocide.”
In the silence that followed his exit, Harris turned back to the audience.
“Listen, what he’s talking about is true. This is real. This is not the topic I came to discuss today, but it is real and I respect his voice,” Harris said.
The Vice President has never before suggested that Israel’s defensive war in Gaza amounts to genocide against the Palestinian people.
“Kamala Harris has publicly validated the false and despicable allegation that Israel is engaging in genocide,” David Friedman, the former US ambassador to Israel, told The Post on Saturday.
“Many people, including me, always suspected that she held a distorted, anti-Semitic view of Israel’s self-defense against the brutality of Hamas. But the cat is out of the bag now,” he said.
“His viewpoint is as ignorant as it is malicious. … Publicly giving credit for this disgusting blood libel disqualifies Harris from holding any public office, let alone the presidency,” he said.
The behind-closed-doors event at the school’s Lubar Entrepreneurship Center was closed to reporters, but video of the moment was posted online. When Harris reached campus, her motorcade encountered pro-Hamas protesters milwaukee journal sentinel Informed.
The heckler appears to have been affiliated with the UW-Milwaukee Popular University group for Palestine Coalition, which posted a first-person account of the confrontation. on his Instagram page on Friday.
Harris’s family has also been publicly vocal about their sympathies.
Both are Harris’s stepdaughters. ella emhoff and niece meena harrisHas raised cash for Palestinian causes.
Ella Emhoff’s activism includes soliciting funds For non-profit UNRWAWhose funding was cut by the United States due to their involvement in the October 7 attacks.
The incident comes as Harris faces growing skepticism from Jewish voters, with poll after poll indicating that Support for the Democratic Party is declining.
Harris’ comments appear to support the position that Israel is committing genocide, just a day after the country killed Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar.
A Harris campaign official said, “This is not the view of the Biden-Harris administration or the vice president.”
(Tags to translate) US news (T) Gaza Strip (T) Genocide (T) Hamas (T) Israel (T) Israel-Hamas war (T) Kamala Harris (T) Palestine (T) Wisconsin
