Former US President Donald Trump’s campaign has hit out at Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, accusing her of failing to condemn anti-Semitism during her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Thursday.
On the last day of the convention, Harris stated that she and President Joe Biden were working round the clock to end Israel’s offensive on Gaza and make sure the “Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”
Following her speech, the Trump campaign issued a statement on Friday, pointing out all the things that Harris “didn’t mention” in her address. Among them, Harris “didn’t mention antisemitism, which has reached crisis levels and roiled college campuses as she attempts to appease her far-left voting base.”
Pro-Palestine activists have staged multiple protests across the US following the outbreak of the war in Gaza last year. The demonstrations have often taken place on college campuses while protesters have repeatedly heckled American politicians and disrupted public events.
Earlier this week, a large crowd of Palestinian supporters tore down a section of the metal security fence outside the DNC in Chicago, demanding that US President Joe Biden cut military aid to Israel and pressure the Israeli government to end its war against Hamas.
During her speech on Thursday, Harris also claimed that she would “stand strong” with Washington’s NATO allies and pledged to “stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself,” insisting that “the people of Israel must never again face the horror that the terrorist organization Hamas caused on October 7.”
Around 1,200 people were killed and some 250 others taken hostage during the incursion into Israel by the Palestinian armed group. Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza, which were launched in response to the attack, have already led to over 40,000 people being killed and more than 93,000 wounded, according to the Palestinian health authorities.