Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro Commends Harris’s Debate Performance, Praises Her ‘Vision for the Middle East’

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), one of the most prominent Jewish voices in American politics, praised US Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential debate answers on the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday night. 

Shapiro, a surrogate of the Harris campaign, commended the Democratic presidential nominee’s debate performance. He also stated that Harris made an “effective case” on how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

“Look, I thought the vice president had a great night,” Shapiro told reporters after the debate. “I thought that not only did she lay out her vision for what she wants to do in this commonwealth, in this country, but I thought what she also did is prosecute the case effectively against Donald Trump, show him to be the unhinged person that he is.”

Shapiro argued that Harris was “right to say that Israel has the right to defend itself after the horrific attack by Hamas on October 7, murdering 1,200 Israelis, taking nearly 250 people, including Americans, hostage, raping women.”

In agreement with Harris, Shapiro stated that although Israel has a right to use military force to dismantle the Palestinian terrorist group, “how they prosecute that war does matter.”

“I also think what she did is lay out a vision for the Middle East, one of Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully side-by-side,” he added. “I think that’s critically important.”

The Pennsylvania governor asserted that Palestinians need to “make clear that violence has no part in their relationship with Israel, that Israel has a right to exist.”

Shapiro, a practicing Jew, has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel. In the days following Hamas’s brutal slaughter of civilians across southern Israel on Oct. 7, Shapiro issued statements condemning the Palestinian terrorist group and gave a speech at a local synagogue. The governor also ordered the US and Pennsylvania Commonwealth flags to fly at half mast outside the state capitol to honor the victims.  

Shapiro has condemned protests against Israeli- and Jewish-owned businesses in Pennsylvania as “antisemitic” and resisted demands to call for a “ceasefire” in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The governor revised the state codes of conduct to bar government employees from participating in “scandalous or disgraceful” behavior.

During an April interview with CNN host Jake Tapper, Shapiro forcefully condemned the pro-Hamas protests on university campuses, questioning “whether or not we would tolerate this if this were people dressed up in KKK outfits or KKK regalia, making comments about people who are African American in our communities.”

Shapiro, a popular governor in a critical swing state, was previously considered to be the frontrunner for the vice presidential slot on the Democratic ticket. However, Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), raising questions as to whether his Jewish identity or support for Israel impacted the selection process. Shapiro emphatically denied these rumors, asserting that antisemitism played “no role” in his failure to secure the vice-presidential nominee.

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