Ex-Defense Secretary Says Harris Will Be 'Own Person' on Israel-Gaza War

A former secretary of defense said Vice President Kamala Harris is going to be "her own person" on stances around the Middle East.

Leon Panetta's suggestion came as Harris has spoken openly about a cease-fire in Gaza, but protesters continue to follow the Democratic presidential nominee's campaign trail.

"I think as issues come up, whether it's in the Middle East or elsewhere, she's pretty much going to be her own person, and that's OK," Panetta said on the One Decision podcast.

The war in Gaza is in its 11th month since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostage. About 50 were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November.

At least 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since in the Israeli offensive, the Associated Press reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry, but many more are feared buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed in airstrikes.

Harris and President Joe Biden have faced criticism from both parties about their policies regarding the Middle East.

At the Democratic National Convention (DNC), it was a hot-button topic. The DNC was plagued by protests over the Israel-Gaza war, with protesters burning American flags and getting into confrontations with police in Chicago. Thirteen people were arrested on the first day of the convention, many of whom were pro-Palestinian protesters who breached an outer security fence. Some Democrats criticized the party for not having a pro-Palestinian speaker on the DNC stage.

The Muslim Women for Harris-Walz group disbanded during the DNC in support of the "uncommitted" group. However, on Thursday, they returned, urging the Muslim community to vote for the Democratic ticket against the GOP ticket of Trump-Vance in November.

Harris made remarks at the DNC in her nomination acceptance speech on the Israel-Gaza war, sparking an eruption of applause.

"And let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself," Harris said. "Because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7."

Harris also addressed the issue of the ongoing war in Gaza. She didn't criticize Israel's actions in war, but called the loss of lives "devastating," and she characterized the "scale of suffering" as "heartbreaking."

"President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination," she said.

Panetta agreed in his discussion Thursday about the need for a cease-fire.

"There's a lot of concern about whether we'll ever get the hostages back, a lot of concern about the victims," Panetta said. "We need a temporary cease-fire so everybody can take a deep breath, hopefully get the hostages exchanged, hopefully be able to provide the help that's needed to the victims of this war in Gaza, and also begin the process of really looking at what the future is with regards to the control of Gaza and what happens with the Palestinians. All of that needs attention."

However, Panetta noted it's to Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu's favor for the war to continue or "his government might collapse."

"It's a volatile situation, and any miscalculation whether it's by Hezbollah, whether it's by Hamas, whether it's by Iran, I think, could result in a much more expanded war in the Middle East," Panetta said. "There's no question we're kind of walking a very fine line here in terms of what can happen."

He said "notoriously silent" Saudi Arabia could make a difference if it were convinced by Israel or the United States "to become part of the Abraham Accords, recognize Israel, receive probably some weaponry from the United States that they're after and be able to be an influence in terms of providing leadership, particularly not only in deciding the security and governance of Gaza but also this whole issue of a Palestinian state."

Panetta called the war's current state a "stalemate."

"Nobody is prepared to kind of make the move that has to be made in order to move the ball forward," he said. "They're all kind of looking at each other and trying to decide just exactly what steps they need to take at this point in time."

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