Where does Kamala Harris stand on the MENA and does she support Israel?

US Vice President Kamala Harris has been endorsed by President Joe Biden as he announced his resignation as the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate.

A source of continuity between administrations, Harris would be picking up on the legacy of her predecessor and will have to address the same issues currently facing the administration.

This includes foreign policy and in particular, the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, brought about by Israel's war on Gaza and its regional implications.

But what has been Harris's stance on the war on Gaza, since being vice president, as well as her work in the wider Middle East? The New Arab takes a look.

Harris' relationship with Israel

Biden was thanked by Israeli politicians and leaders following his letter of resignation, including from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and opposition MK Yair Lapid, a response emblematic of his staunch support for Israel through his political career.

Harris has also pledged her support to Israel, both before and after Hamas's 7 October attacks.

In 2017 she spoke at the annual conference for Israel lobby group AIPAC, saying that she would stand strongly with Israel, pledging to uphold Israel's right to self defence and the military cooperation between the two countries, as well as affirming that there must be a two-state solution to the conflict.

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Harris continued on track with what she said to AIPAC.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference earlier in 2024, Harris reaffirmed the US commitment to Israel's security, its right to self defence, and called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.

However, with the context of the death toll in Gaza, which is now at 39,006 Palestinians killed and a further 89,818 wounded, Harris noted that "Israel must do better to protect innocent civilians" in Gaza.

As well as criticising the high death toll, she has also publicly criticised Israel on a number of other issues. She urged Israel to do more to stop the humanitarian catastrophe brought about by their assault on Gaza, and warned against an operation in Rafah.

"We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake" she said in March.

She additionally brought those criticisms during her meeting with then-war cabinet member MK Benny Gantz during his visit to Washington.

Harris has also told Israel's President Isaac Herzog that Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank should be held accountable for violent actions, which have drastically risen since October and have seen Washington place sanctions on settlers and settler organisations.

Her work in the wider Middle East

Harris has also travelled to Dubai to represent the US at the climate conference COP28, where she spoke with leaders from the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan about post-war plans for Gaza.

She also held a call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in December, where she reiterated support for a two-state solution, and condemned settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

In addition to engaging with Gaza-related foreign policy issues, she has sought to address other challenges facing the MENA region, including calling Jordan's King Abdullah II to discuss violence in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, addressing the climate crisis in the region, and promoting stability in Iraq.

She also led a US delegation to the UAE in 2022 in a bid to strengthen ties with the Gulf state.

Prior to the inauguration of the Biden administration, Harris had supported the 2015 nuclear deal between the US and Iran, with her also condemning Trump's 2020 assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard chief Qassem Soleimani that heightened tensions in the region.

In Munich, Harris affirmed the administration's stance on countering "aggression from Iran and its proxies, preventing regional escalation, and promoting regional integration", a hallmark of Biden's foreign policy that saw him attempt to secure a normalisation deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.