Last week, speaking at a virtual fundraiser with 1,800 Jewish Democrats, VP candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Ca) pledged that, if elected, President Joe Biden would not impose conditions on US aid to Israel, stating clearly that the aid would depend on “any political decision” of Israel’s government.
“I pledge to you the Biden-Harris administration will sustain our unbreakable commitment to Israel’s security, including the unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation pioneered during the Obama-Biden administration and the guarantee that Israel will always maintain its qualitative military edge,” Harris said.
“Joe has made it clear he will not tie security assistance to any political decisions that Israel makes and I couldn’t agree more,” Harris told her Zoom audience. “As vice president, Joe Biden helped ensure unwavering support for Israel’s security. During the Obama-Biden administration he was a key advocate in securing support for life-saving technologies, which I have seen: Iron Dome. David’s Sling. The Arrow. Three anti-rocket and missile defense systems. And Joe has also helped shape the unprecedented $38 billion-a-year MOU — memorandum of understanding — for defense assistance to Israel that was signed in 2016 which, as you know, was the largest military aid package in U.S. history.”
Harris was asked about Biden’s plan to return to the Iran nuclear deal, and answered that the Democratic administration would not allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon. She noted that the nuclear deal had “blocked Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon”, and criticized President Donald Trump’s pulling out of the deal without working out an alternative.
“Joe Biden actually took historic steps as vice president to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Harris said. “The Obama-Biden administration imposed what were described as crippling multilateral sanctions which brought Iran to negotiations, which paved the way for the JCPOA and prevented a nuclear-armed Iran.”
She said the Biden administration will seek an amended “diplomatic agreement” with Iran that would include the Islamic Republic’s terror activities around the Middle East.