The pressing issue in Washington is the fear of a war in the Middle East in the thick of a presidential campaign. The death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on the 27th of September has escalated the situation; and as we have seen now, Iran has become involved. This has posed a major challenge to both Harris and Trump in their campaigns. The escalation of the situation in the Middle East witnessed Harris calling for diplomacy; an immediate ceasefire, at least temporarily. Both Harris and Biden released statements praising the killing of the Hezbollah leader; whilst the Republican side attacked the Biden administration for not doing enough to support Israel. Although Trump has surprisingly not directly commented on the death of the Hezbollah leader, Trump used the event of the Iranian missile attack on October 1st as an example of the world “spiralling out of control”, and accused Harris of being incompetent to deal with the situation. Whereas, Harris publicly condemned the attack and further remarked that Iran is a destabilising factor in the Middle East. After the missiles were launched she reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself, and America’s commitment to Israel’s security.

Moreover, Harris’ emphasis on the suffering of the Palestinians is much more determined than Trump’s. Her public speeches over their suffering present her as more empathetic. On March 3rd 2024, Harris remarked on the awful and sad conditions for the people in Gaza. In her campaign speech in Arizona on August 9th, Harris argued that “now is the time” to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal. Harris is in a tricky situation in her campaign as she wants to hold onto the Jewish-American voters whilst also managing the growing resentment from the Muslim-American voters. Trump has been more vocal about his relationship with Israel arguing that it is a “cherished friend.” It is beneficial for Trump at this point in his campaign to pledge his support so vocally for Israel because he is trying to swing the Jewish American votes which have traditionally voted for the Democrats. Trump has gone further to persuade Jewish-American voters to support him – boasting that he is Israel’s great friend. He stated that if you are Jewish and voting against him, then you are almost betraying Israel.

A few days ago Harris stated that the White House did not “want to see conflict in the Middle East escalate into a broader regional war”, emphasising her stance that diplomacy is the way forward. Harris wants to limit the political fallout from conflict in the Middle East. However, Israel’s offensive in Lebanon and the rising danger of all-out war in the region will make this difficult. Current events just a month before the November elections have made Harris’s plans for stability in the Middle East difficult. The US has not made a truce in Gaza and Israel has intensified its operations against Hizbollah.

Trump’s campaign has suggested that a possible 2nd Trump administration could represent a continuation of previous policy from 2017-2021. He has continuously emphasised his unconditional support for Israel which was demonstrated in his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019. He moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed capital of Jerusalem, which reversed decades of US international policy as Palestinians claim parts of Jerusalem as their capital too. One of Trump’s foreign policy achievements culminated in the 2020 Abraham Accords, in which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recognised Israel and opened diplomatic ties.

Trump’s hostility towards Iran was seen through his exit from the Iranian nuclear agreement (brokered under Obama), and he put sanctions back on Tehran. Whereas Harris is following Biden’s administration to find a two-state solution over time, Trump has shut down the de facto Palestinian embassy in Washington and has been dismissive over the establishment of a Palestinian state. During his time as president, Trump also took no steps to minimise the settlements in Israel. His administration instead moved to legitimise them.

Conclusion:

There is a degree of shared understanding between Harris and Trump over their policy in the Middle East – they both agree that the Israeli-Hamas war must end. Similarly, in both of their campaigns, they have reasserted America’s support for Israel. However, Harris supports President Biden’s ceasefire discussions. Furthermore, Harris has been more vocal about her sympathy towards the victims of atrocities committed in Palestine, though she has not supported any effort to stop shipping weapons to Israel.