After Donald Trump accused Kamala Harris of dropping Pennsylvania Governor and potential Democratic vice presidential nominee Josh Shapiro for being "Jewish" he has been continuously accusing the Vice President of antisemitism. According to Politico's Jamie Dettmer, he may be doing so to maximize the current split in the Democratic party concerning the war on Gaza. 

Trump will use any tactic that might disrupt American-Jewish political alliances, similar to his 2020 claim that Jewish voters supporting Democrats were “highly disloyal to Israel.”

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance defines antisemitism as accusing Jewish individuals of having greater loyalty to "Israel" or global Jewish interests than to their own countries, a notion that a bipartisan majority in the House tried to enshrine in U.S. law earlier this year.

Though Jews constitute only about 2.4% of American adults, they consistently vote in high numbers and could significantly influence a few key swing states in a close election.

While Trump's charges are readily dismissed as self-serving, Dettmer says,  it's worth noting that some pro-Israeli and Jewish Democrats make similar accusations, potentially mixing antisemitism with opposition to the war on Gaza, where 'Israel' has killed over 39,700 Palestinians and injured over 92,000.

David Greenfield, a Democrat in New York, claimed to POLITICO last week that Shapiro was subject to a smear campaign due to being  "an observant Jew."

Another New York Democrat Mark Levine stated his belief that the "daggers" coming out for Shapiro were unfair and "explainable only by his Jewish identity.”

Last week, The Times of Israel reported that Shapiro addressed a recently uncovered op-ed he wrote in college, in which he identified himself as a former volunteer in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and claimed that Palestinians are too "battle-minded" to seek peace with "Israel."

"Palestinians will not coexist peacefully," he suggested in the op-ed titled "Peace Not Possible."

Shapiro has faced strong criticism from pro-Palestine activists, who have labeled him "Genocide Josh" and cautioned Harris against choosing him.

Harris could be 'disaster for Israel'

Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, claimed that “Harris as president could be a disaster for Israel and the Jewish people.”

According to Dettmer, Harris's position could be due to America's changing demographics. Arab Americans have grown by 30% from 2010 to 2022 totaling 3.5 million.

The U.S.'s fastest-growing demographic groups—Asian Americans and Hispanics—focus on foreign policy issues that are not tied to Europe or the Middle East, which means further eroding support for "Israel" can be expected.

Dettmer contends that despite not seeing eye to eye with Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden has kept his word on being a Zionist president, continuously supporting "Israel" through its war, something future presidents, including Harris, may not do.

Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower both declined to give the occupation weapons, making France its primary supplier.

The embargo was subsequently repealed by President John F. Kennedy, in part to assist Democrats win more Jewish-American voters.

Despite recently revealing she is not in favor of stopping the transfer of weapons to "Israel" to presure Netanyahu, Harris met with two Arab Americans leading the Uncommitted National Movement, who asked her to consider an arms embargo on "Israel", at a campaign stop in Michigan.

Just before her rally, Harris met with Abbas Alawieh and Layla Elabed, who, according to NYT's report, "wanted to support her but... wanted her to consider an arms embargo." In response, Harris indicated she was "open to it" and introduced the two community leaders to her staff.

Harris' team statement in response read, “Since October 7, the vice president has prioritized engaging with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members and others regarding the war in Gaza... In this brief engagement, she reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with those communities.”