Week Ender - July 26, 2024
Some thoughts on the developments of the week
As the rush of enthusiasm from Biden’s exit and Harris’s consolidation as the presumptive nominee continues we’re beginning to see some of the conflicts and contradictions inherent to US politics. Most prominently the continued genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the role of the United States in supplying the weaponry with which it’s being carried out.1 Netanyahu’s visit to Congress punctuated by his mendacious speech to Congress, and the private meeting between the Vice President soon to be presumptive nominee provided an inflection point for Harris’s stance moving forward in the conflict.2
Netanyahu’s blustery speech, in which he thanked Donald Trump more times than he did President Biden, called for even more arms from the administration, providing a perfect breaking point. The response from Kamala Harris after their private meeting provided some hope for those of us advocating for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. While being careful to voice support for Israel she also made sure to highlight the civilian losses in Gaza and pledged “not to be silent”3 about the ongoing tragedy in the occupied territory moving forward.
With the Knesset going into recess after this weekend, this rhetorical pushing makes it clear that Netanyahu’s window to agree to a ceasefire is one he should use to cease hostilities lest he further damage his relationship with the most vital foreign power supporting Israel.4 We shall see if he heeds this warning or decides to further dig in his heels. I imagine a large part of his thinking will be influenced by whether he believes Trump will be returning to office or if he’ll have to deal with a less committed partner in Harris.
The other result of Netanyahu’s visit, which provided an insight into how Harris may approach the issues at the fore of people’s minds differently than Biden’s was her reaction to the protests in Washington D.C. against Netanyahu’s speech. Here we saw, once again, an aggressive and violent response from the police towards people peacefully protesting the visit of a man who’s wanted for war crimes.5 The invocation of antisemitism as a mitigating factor in people’s right to protest in Kamala Harris’s statement on the protest is a disappointment.6 Even if it is predictable this will stunt some of the enthusiasm from young voters and others who overwhelmingly support a ceasefire in Gaza.
Elsewhere in the world we’ve seen the power of protest in forcing otherwise obstinate leaders in changing their previously adamant stance. On the continent of Africa we’ve seen the youth of Kenya force William Ruto to scrap a tax increase on staple goods and sack a cabinet soaked in corruption.7 This movement led by the youth and refusing to concede to state violence and overtures for negotiations has sparked a reckoning for a leadership class which has been able to dictate terms first through authoritarianism and then co-opted opposition for decades.
They’ve also inspired their counterparts in Uganda to defy Yoweri Museveni’s threats to punish protesters and ignore his assertion that they’re the pawns of foreign powers.8 In both Uganda and Kenya we’ve seen the US express concerns on the treatment of protesters as leaders in both countries have had protesters arrested, disappeared, and shot by state forces.9 While it’s important to see the US support people’s right to protest abroad we must also demand the same protection domestically.
Albanese, Francesca. “Rights Expert Finds ‘reasonable Grounds’ Genocide Is Being Committed in Gaza | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, 26 Mar. 2024, news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147976.
Katz, Jonathan M. “Netanyahu Told Congress He’s Protecting ‘every American City.’ He’s Only Protecting Himself.” The Racket, 24 July 2024, theracket.news/p/netanyahu-congress-only-protecting-himself?utm_source=theracket.news&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=netanyahu-told-congress-he-s-protecting-every-american-city-he-s-only-protecting-himself.
Fossum, Sam, and Nadeen Ebrahim. “Harris Says She ‘will Not Be Silent’ on Gaza Suffering While Telling Netanyahu to Get Ceasefire Deal Done | CNN Politics.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26 July 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/07/25/politics/harris-netanyahu-israel-hamas-ceasefire?Date=20240725&Profile=CNN&utm_content=1721951299&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.
Miller, Aaron David, and Adam Israelevitz. “What Israel’s Netanyahu Got from His Speech in Congress.” Foreign Policy, 25 July 2024, foreignpolicy.com/2024/07/25/netanyahu-congress-speech-biden-israel-trump-republicans-democrats/.
Staff, NBC Washington. “Protesters Arrested, Pepper-Sprayed in DC as Israel’s Netanyahu Addresses Congress.” NBC4 Washington, 24 July 2024, www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/live-updates-protests-dc-israel-netanyahu-congress-gaza/3673755/.
Harris, Kamala. “Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris.” The White House, The United States Government, 25 July 2024, www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/07/25/statement-by-vice-president-kamala-harris-3/.
Mugo, Kari. “Kenya’s Third Liberation Movement.” Africa Is a Country, 15 July 2024, africasacountry.com/2024/07/kenyas-third-liberation-movement-1/.
Princewill, Nimi. “Uganda’s President Museveni Warns Citizens They Are ‘playing with Fire’ over Planned Protests.” CNN, Cable News Network, 22 July 2024, edition.cnn.com/2024/07/22/africa/uganda-anti-corruption-protest-intl/index.html.
Njeri, Christabel. “U.S Breaks Silence on Uganda Protests after Museveni Threats.” The Kenya Times | Breaking News, Business, Politics, Sports, and Entertainment | By the People, for the People, 26 July 2024, thekenyatimes.com/latest-kenya-times-news/u-s-breaks-silence-on-uganda-protests-after-museveni-threats/.