RJC director said Harris’s criticism of the protests made ‘zero mention of any concrete action she would take to hold them accountable.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
The Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) called out Vice President and current Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris for her tepid and belated response to pro-Hamas rallies in front of the Capitol on Wednesday.
Although Harris did criticize the protests, which included attempts to storm the Capitol, burning the US flag, holding flags, and chanting slogans sympathizing with Hamas, RJC head Sam Markstein told Fox News Digital that the remarks were belated, lacked a plan to take action against such protests.
Markstein wrote in a statement, “It took her a full day to issue a weak condemnation of the pro-Hamas mobs that burned American flags and chanted vile antisemitic slogans at Jews in Washington, D.C.”
He added that there was “zero mention of any concrete action she would take to hold them accountable. It should be easy to condemn antisemitism – the real question is what she will do to confront it, and her statement speaks for itself.”
He concluded, “Clearly, her priorities are not our priorities – and if elected, we can expect more of the same.”
Democratic politicians joined Republicans in criticizing the protests in Washington DC, which included burning Netanyahu in effigy during his address to Congress.
New York Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Kamala Harris all condemned the protests.
Harris called the anti-Israel protests “despicable” and “unpatriotic.”
She issued a statement, “I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent, and we must not tolerate it in our nation.”
Harris’s statement continued, “I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.”
She concluded, “I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.”