US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris spoke to Jewish supporters on Friday ahead of Yom Kippur, and vowed that she would never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. “Iran is a destabilizing and dangerous force. When Donald Trump was president, he let Iran off the hook,” claimed Harris, who accused Trump of pulling the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran “without any plan, leading to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program.” “Make no mistake: As President, I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend American forces and interests from Iran, and Iran-backed terrorists, and I will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” stated Harris, though she also added, “Diplomacy is my preferred path to that end, but all options are on the table.” The Vice President accused Trump of espousing “dangerous and hateful antisemitic tropes, creating fear and division.” “He praised some of the neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville as, quote, ‘very fine people.’ He reportedly said, Hitler did some, quote, good things,” claimed Harris, who added, “I have spent my entire career fighting antisemitism. I prosecuted hate crimes as a district attorney. I continued this work as Attorney General of California, where I published an annual report on hate crimes to ensure that policymakers and law enforcement respond with a sense of urgency and an understanding of the ubiquity of the problem. And as Vice President, I am proud to be implementing the first ever National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, which, of course, Doug (Emhoff) was an extraordinary leader in making sure would be created.” “As President, I will do everything in my power to combat antisemitism, whenever and wherever we see it,” vowed Harris. She also told the Jewish supporters that she is aware of how a secure, democratic Israel is important to Jews, regardless of where they live. "I will never forget October 7, and the world must never forget, and we all must work to ensure nothing like the horrors of that day can ever happen again," added Harris, who stated that she will "always work to ensure the safety and security of the people of Israel, and Jewish people here in the United States and around the world when it comes to the war." Related articles: Harris aides discussed, 'What happens if Biden dies in office' Kamala Harris seriously considering running for CA governor Biden ‘proud’ of hostage deal as Sagui Dekel-Chen is freed 'Keith Siegel was freed as part of deal my team and I negotiated' Harris again reiterated her call for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. "We have seen so much suffering and pain over the past year, and it's time to bring the conflict to an end," she said. "We are not giving up on a ceasefire deal," the Vice President said. "I will never stop fighting for the release of all the hostages, including, of course, the seven American citizens living and deceased, who are still held. We are fighting for them every day." (Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Yom Kippur in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
