Richard Haass, one of the top foreign policy pundits backing Kamala Harris, slammed Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, arguing that the Jewish state "should have gone about this operation in a far more discriminating way" and that the Israeli government "has not made it a priority" to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
His remarks came from the bimah, or the altar, of the conservative Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan on Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, which Jews consider the holiest day of the year.
Haass spoke in conversation with the synagogue's rabbi, Elliot Cosgrove, who pushed back on his remarks at times but mostly allowed the former Council on Foreign Relations president to speak unchallenged.
Haass has spoken publicly of his support for Harris, arguing that any criticism that she lacks foreign policy experience is "just plain wrong," and reportedly given her advice on Israeli policy since the attacks last October. His remarks come as Harris has sharpened her criticism of the Jewish state, saying this week that Israel must "urgently do more" to deliver aid to Gaza.
Speaking at the synagogue, Haass said, "Israel had the right and the necessity of responding, but the way, the manner in which it chose to respond, was counterproductive."
"Israel could and should have gone about this operation in a more discriminating way," he said.
Haass criticized Israel for failing to reach a ceasefire agreement with the Palestinians, saying the Israeli government "has not made it a priority" to return the hostages.
"Israel has won on the battlefield in Gaza, but has lost politically," said Haass. "It's lost in the court of international public opinion, but also it's losing in the Palestinian and Arab world."
He said Israel must do more to "open up a diplomatic process," saying the "parallel is what the British did in Northern Ireland" during "the Troubles."
Haass said his criticism was also driven by concern that the Israeli government was pursuing a policy of "permanent occupation" of the Palestinians, warning that Israel would "cease to be a democratic state."
Cosgrove let those remarks go unchallenged but pushed back on Haass's contention that Israel should approach the conflict with its neighbors the way that Great Britain dealt with Northern Ireland. "It just doesn't strike me that we're dealing with an Ireland-Britain moment," Cosgrove said. "You're dealing with religious fundamentalists who want a Jewish state wiped off the map."
Cosgrove has been critical of former president Donald Trump in his own remarks from the pulpit. He said last month that the Republican "endangered the Jewish people" by claiming that American Jews would be partially responsible if Trump loses the election.
Haass endorsed Harris in August. Since then, he has given multiple interviews in support of Harris and her foreign policy.
Last February, Politico reported that Haass advised Harris on ways to counter Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military policies. Haass proposed that President Joe Biden give a direct speech to the Israeli Knesset—an idea that was ultimately rejected by the Biden administration.