Harris and Trump Face Foreign Policy Tightrope Amid Gaza Crisis
Kamala Harris is attempting to balance her party’s traditional support for Israel with growing calls for stronger support for Palestinians. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is stressing his strong pro-Israel stance, aiming to attract Jewish voters in critical swing states such as Pennsylvania. Both strategies have led to mixed results.
A majority of U.S. voters favour diplomacy to avoid a wider war in the Middle East war, aligning with Kamala Harris' calls for de-escalation between Iran and Israel. Meanwhile, Trump is navigating tensions between hawkish demands for the dismantling of Iranian proxies and his isolationist policies.
Houthi attacks against Western oil tankers and fears of Israeli strikes on Iran have driven oil prices up 13%, raising concerns among Democrats that further increases could harm Harris' campaign and benefit Trump by eroding confidence in the economy.