DEBATE: Harris restates Israel views; Trump: It’s toast without me

Former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris were given a chance to speak about Israel during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, but the ABC moderators failed to ask about rising antisemitism in America and the wave of pro-Hamas campus activism that’s been reignited as the new school year got underway.

In reiterating her support of Israel’s right to defend itself, Harris voiced sorrow that “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” and said “we must chart a course for a two state solution.”

Trump said Harris “hates Israel” and that if she’s elected “Israel will not exist within two years from now … because the whole place is going to get blown up — Arabs, Jewish people, Israel. Israel will be gone.”

Harris responded that “I have my entire career and life supported Israel and the Israeli people.”

Trump began his comments about Israel by talking about Ukraine, saying President Putin would not have invaded had Trump been president. Trump declined to say whether he wants Ukraine to win.

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The debate segment on Israel, which began nearly an hour in, opened with a moderator reminding Harris that in pledging to support Israel’s right to defend itself…

ABC: “you added, ‘It matters how,’ saying international humanitarian law must be respected, Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians. You said that nine months ago. Now, an estimated 40,000 Palestinians are dead. Nearly 100 hostages remain. Just last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there’s not a deal in the making. President Biden has not been able to break through the stalemate. How would you do it?”

Harris: Well, let’s understand how we got here. On Oct. 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization, slaughtered 1,200 Israelis, many of them young people who were simply attending a concert; women were horribly raped, and so absolutely I said then and I say now, Israel has a right to defend itself — we would.

And how it does so matters, because it is also true, far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed — children, mothers.

What we know is that this war must end. It must end immediately. And the way it will end is we need a ceasefire deal, and we need the hostages out. And so we will continue to work around the clock on that; work around the clock also understanding that we must chart a course for a two state solution, and in that solution, there must be security for the Israeli people and Israel, and an equal measure for the Palestinians.

But the one thing I will assure you always, I will always give Israel the ability to defend itself — in particular, as it relates to Iran, and any threat that Iran and its proxies pose to Israel.

But we must have a two-state solution, where we can rebuild Gaza, where the Palestinians have security, self-determination and the dignity they so rightly deserve.

ABC: President Trump, how would you negotiate with Netanyahu and also Hamas in order to get the hostages out and prevent the killing of more innocent civilians in Gaza?

Trump: If I were president, it would have never started. If I were president, Russia would have never, ever — I know Putin very well — he would have never, and there was no threat of it either, by the way, for four years, have gone into Ukraine and killed millions of people when you add it up — far worse than people understand what’s going on over there.

But when she mentions about Israel, all of a sudden, she hates Israel. She wouldn’t even meet with Netanyahu when he went to Congress to make a very important speech. She refused to be there because she was at a sorority party of hers. She wanted to go to the sorority party. She hates Israel.

If she’s president, I believe that Israel will not exist within two years from now, and I’ve been pretty good at predictions, and I hope I’m wrong about that one. She hates Israel. At the same time, in her own way, she hates the Arab population, because the whole place is going to get blown up — Arabs, Jewish people, Israel. Israel will be gone.

It would have never happened. Iran was broke under Donald Trump. Now Iran has $300 billion because they took off all the sanctions that I had. Iran had no money for Hamas or Hezbollah or any of the 28 different spheres of terror — and they are spheres of terror, horrible terror. They had no money. It was a big story, and you know it, you covered it very well actually. They had no money for terror. They were broke. Now they’re a rich nation, and now what they’re doing is they’re spreading that money around.

Look at what’s happening with the Houthis and Yemen. Look at what’s going on in the Middle East. This would have never happened. I will get that settled and fast, and I’ll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended. If I’m president-elect, I’ll get it done before even becoming president.

ABC: Vice President Harris, he says you hate Israel.

Harris: That’s absolutely not true. I have my entire career and life supported Israel and the Israeli people. He knows that. He’s trying to again, divide and distract from the reality, which is it is very well known that Donald Trump is weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy.

It is well known that he admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one, according to himself. It is well known that he said of Putin that he can do whatever the hell he wants and go into Ukraine. It is well known that he said when Russia went into Ukraine, it was brilliant. It is well known he exchanged love letters with Kim Jong Un, and it is absolutely well known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they’re so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favors.

And that is why so many military leaders who you have worked with have told me you are a disgrace. That is why we understand that we have to have a president who is not consistently weak and wrong on national security, including the importance of upholding and respecting in highest regard our military.

Trump responds: She’s the one … that’s weak on national security by allowing every nation — last month, for the year, 168 different countries sending people into our country. Their crime rates are way down. Putin endorsed her last week, said, I hope she wins, and I think he meant it, because what he’s gotten away with is absolutely incredible. It wouldn’t have happened with me.

The leaders of other countries think that they’re weak and incompetent, and they are. They’re grossly incompetent. And I just ask one question, why does Biden go in and kill the Keystone Pipeline and approve the single biggest deal that Russia’s ever made — Nord Stream 2, the biggest pipeline anywhere in the world, going to Germany and all over Europe? Because they’re weak and they’re ineffective, and Biden, by the way, has paid a lot of money.