Harris’s Views on Israel Are in the Spotlight as Netanyahu Visits Washington

In her first week as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris will confront the most politically divisive issue in U.S. foreign policy as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel pays an official visit to Washington.

Mr. Netanyahu’s trip throws a spotlight on the views of Ms. Harris, who has emerged as a forceful voice on the Israel-Hamas war, particularly in discussing the plight of innocent Palestinians. In a civil rights speech in Selma, Ala., this year, Ms. Harris garnered widespread attention for calling for an “immediate cease-fire” and assailing Israel for creating a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.

Ms. Harris will meet privately with the Israeli leader at the White House. But her remarks before and after their conversation will be closely watched for signals about her approach to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza should she win the White House in November.

Although Ms. Harris has been seen as more sharply critical of the war in Gaza than Mr. Biden has been, she is not expected to express views to Mr. Netanyahu in their meeting that differ from current policy.

It is unclear how much her views do differ. Even her call for a cease-fire, which generated headlines suggesting new U.S. pressure on Israel, was consistent with Mr. Biden’s position — a demand that Hamas accept an Israeli proposal to stop the fighting in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza. But her tone and emphasis on human suffering marked a drastic rhetorical turning point for how the administration discussed the cost of the war.

Still, how Ms. Harris navigates the week will be closely watched, experts and voters say, particularly for signs of a shift on the intensely debated question of whether the United States should condition military aid to Israel to limit Palestinian civilian casualties.

Josh Paul, who resigned from the State Department last fall in protest over Mr. Biden’s continued arms deliveries to Israel, cautioned that political dynamics would limit Ms. Harris’s ability to make dramatic changes. But he said Ms. Harris “would certainly show more pragmatism and flexibility than Biden has, and in her public commentary has also demonstrated a far more humanizing approach to the Palestinians in the past year.”

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