Former Vice President Kamala Harris is accusing both President Donald Trump and the Biden administration, in which she served for four years, of failing to exert sufficient pressure on Israel during the war against Hamas in Gaza, arguing that Washington should have intervened earlier and more aggressively to restrict Israeli military operations.

Speaking Wednesday at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea, Harris criticized American policy toward Israel under both administrations, portraying the Jewish state’s military campaign as unacceptable and faulting U.S. leaders for failing to use American influence to force a change in Israel’s conduct.

“Most recently, the failure to use our leverage to curtail the Israeli government’s horrific conduct in the war in Gaza, both under the current administration, which offers [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu a blank check, and our administration before, where we should have acted sooner and more forcefully,” Harris said.

The remarks amounted to an unusually direct criticism of former President Joe Biden, whose administration Harris helped lead as vice president throughout the Gaza war. They also represented another attack on Trump’s support for Israel and his relationship with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Harris’s comments come as she weighs another presidential campaign in 2028, following her defeat to Trump in the 2024 election. She has publicly acknowledged that she is considering another run for the White House.

Her latest statements are consistent with a series of increasingly critical remarks she has made about Israel, Netanyahu, and American military involvement in the Middle East.

In April, Harris accused Netanyahu of drawing Trump into the military confrontation with Iran, arguing that the conflict was unwanted by American voters and had contributed to higher gasoline prices.

“Trump entered a war – and he got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu, let’s be clear about that – that the American people didn’t want. Among the many consequences of it is jacking up the price of gas,” Harris said at the time.

Harris also generated controversy during the 2024 presidential campaign over her response to an anti-Israel protester who accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

During an October 2024 campaign appearance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the demonstrator interrupted her remarks with accusations against Israel before being escorted from the venue.

Rather than directly rejecting the allegation, Harris appeared to validate the protester’s concerns, telling the audience that the issue “was real.”

“Listen, what he’s talking about, it’s real. That’s not the subject that I came to discuss today, but it’s real and I respect his voice,” she said.

The Republican Jewish Coalition responded to Harris’s latest remarks by accusing her of maintaining a record of hostility toward Israel. The organization described her criticism as “unsurprising” and pointed to several previous controversies involving her statements and positions on the Jewish state.

Among the incidents cited by the RJC was a confrontation at a Harris event just ten days after the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, when an audience member accused Israel and the United States of genocide. According to the organization, Harris responded by telling the individual, “I appreciate your leadership”.

The RJC also recalled Harris’s decision to skip Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress in July 2024, attending a sorority luncheon instead. The organization further criticized her record on legislation intended to counter the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Another point raised by the group was Harris’s opposition to Israeli military operations in Rafah. During the Gaza war, she repeatedly expressed concern about the humanitarian consequences of an Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city. Israeli forces subsequently located and rescued hostages in the Rafah area, an outcome the RJC cited in challenging her position.

The organization also revisited an incident from 2021 in which a student accused Israel of “ethnic genocide” during an exchange with Harris. Her response at the time, “Your truth cannot be suppressed”, drew criticism from those who argued that she had failed to challenge the accusation.

Harris’s latest comments also drew a sharp reaction from Warren Kinsella, a Canadian attorney and author who worked on her 2024 presidential campaign. Following her remarks about Israel, Kinsella wrote that he was “ashamed to have worked with her.”

Her criticism of Biden represents a further shift from the position she maintained while serving in his administration. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Harris generally defended Israel’s right to protect itself following the October 7 Hamas attacks, even as she voiced concern about civilian suffering in Gaza.

Since leaving office, however, Harris has become increasingly willing to criticize the administration’s handling of the conflict. In her 2025 memoir, 107 Days, she faulted Biden for what she regarded as an inadequate public response to Palestinian suffering, suggesting that his expressions of concern lacked the intensity of his statements supporting Israel.

The Israel controversy was only one component of Harris’s appearance in Seoul, where she delivered a broader critique of American foreign policy and the Trump administration’s approach to international alliances.

She criticized Trump’s tariff policies and his handling of relations with South Korea, arguing that Washington was weakening important partnerships at a time of growing international instability.

Harris also warned about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence, calling for stronger international safeguards and cooperation between the United States and China to address emerging technological threats.

Her remarks come as she remains politically active ahead of the November midterm elections and considers whether to seek the Democratic presidential nomination again in 2028.

During her appearance in South Korea, Harris predicted that Democrats could capture both chambers of Congress in November, while declining to make a final announcement about her own political plans.