Former President says Democrat opponent “hates Israel” and will not defend it, but she tries to strike balanced pose

In the 2024 U.S. presidential debate, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris clashed over the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, with both candidates presenting starkly different views. The debate underscored the deep divide in how each would approach the Middle East, particularly in relation to Israel’s security and the broader implications of the war.

Trump opened his remarks by criticizing Harris’s foreign policy, specifically accusing her of harboring anti-Israel sentiments. “She hates Israel,” Trump declared. He went further, predicting that if Harris were elected, “Israel will not exist within two years.” Trump’s comments were part of a broader argument that the current administration’s policies were too weak and that they had emboldened Israel’s enemies, particularly Hamas.

Harris pushed back strongly, emphasizing her long-standing support for Israel. “Let’s understand how we got here. On October 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization, slaughtered 1,200 Israelis, many of them young people who were simply attending a concert,” she said. Harris made clear that she believed Israel had the right to defend itself, drawing parallels to how the United States would respond under similar circumstances. “I said then, I say now, Israel has a right to defend itself. We would,” Harris stated.

However, Harris also expressed concern about the mounting civilian casualties in Gaza. “Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed—children, mothers,” she added. Harris called for an immediate ceasefire and suggested that a two-state solution was the ultimate path to peace. “We must chart a course for a two-state solution, and in that solution, there must be security for the Israeli people and Israel, and an equal measure for the Palestinians,” Harris argued.

Trump rejected the idea of a ceasefire, asserting that it would undermine Israel’s ability to eliminate Hamas. “He [Biden] should let them go and let them finish the job,” Trump argued, positioning himself as the candidate who would give Israel full autonomy in its military response. He criticized the Biden-Harris administration for what he saw as appeasement, implying that their policies had allowed Hamas to thrive.

Throughout the debate, both candidates stuck to their core messages, with Trump maintaining that his approach would ensure Israel’s survival and Harris attempting to balance support for Israel with calls for humanitarian restraint and a long-term peace process. Neither candidate offered a detailed plan for how they would address the complex realities of the conflict, particularly the fact that Hamas has consistently rejected ceasefire offers that don’t align with its goals, and that neither side currently appears open to serious two-state negotiations.

The clash between Trump and Harris on the Israel-Hamas war mirrored their broader ideological differences, with Trump emphasizing military strength and Harris focusing on diplomacy. The debate left voters with a clear sense of the two candidates’ contrasting visions for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, though questions remain about the feasibility of their proposed solutions.