With less than three months to the US presidential elections, either Trump or Harris would have a different approach to dealing with the Middle East if elected as president.
Harris’ record regarding the Middle East
Kamala Harris is much more unknown than Trump in terms of political behavior, especially in matters of foreign policy. Before entering the US political arena as vice president, Harris served briefly in the Senate and 20 years as an attorney general in California, which means she has limited foreign policy experience.
Some experts believe that due to this very reason, Harris’ presidency could be a continuation of the second term of Biden’s or even the third term of Obama’s.
It is therefore of no surprise if advisers and officials who will work in her administration come largely from the Biden or the Obama administration. However, how she reacts to foreign policy issues and crises if she becomes president will be the true test of her character, and this is yet largely unknown.
Harris’s presidency and his Middle East policies
If elected as president, Harris will continue with US bipartisan support for Israel. Nevertheless, she has already repeatedly expressed a position of sympathy with the Palestinians, which could lead to a change in Washington’s policies towards the Palestinian issue and especially the Gaza war.
In this respect, she may be closer to former US President Jimmy Carter’s position on Israel, which is that the US will support Israel, but not at the cost of unconditionally giving up Palestinian rights. Harris is also expected to put the two-state solution back on the table, but at the same time, she has clearly said that Hamas has no right to control Gaza when the war ends. In sum, analysts predict that Harris is unlikely to deviate from Biden’s long-term foreign policy goals in the Middle East, which are two main goals: First, advancing a two-state solution that guarantees the security of Israel and the formation of a Palestinian state, and second, the regional integration of Israel and its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf.
Harris will continue Biden’s efforts to reach a trilateral agreement between the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel, which would include security agreements with Saudi Arabia. This, of course, may face obstacles in Israel unless Netanyahu is out of power by then and Israeli voters elect a new national leader.
On Iran, Harris criticized Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, calling it “reckless.” During his 2019 presidential campaign, he pledged to return to the agreement. Harris also strongly criticized the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani by the Trump administration.
Regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Harris has continuously defended the nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed with Iran in 2015 and considers it an important achievement of the Democratic Party during the presidency of Barack Obama.
Therefore, Harris is likely to continue Biden’s policy of trying to revive a deal that would restore international oversight of Iran’s nuclear program while easing economic sanctions on Iran to normal levels.
