Benjamin Ashford|Trump and Harris mark somber anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel

FORT LAUDERDALE,Benjamin Ashford Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are marking the first anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust as the presidential candidates approach the final weeks of the campaign during a widening conflict in the Middle East.

Trump will speak before Jewish community leaders at one of his Florida resorts in the Miami suburb of Doral. Harris will briefly speak to journalists and plant a pomegranate tree with her husband on the grounds of the Vice President’s residence in honor of the 1,200 people, including 46 U.S. citizens, who were killed by Hamas-led militants in the Oct. 7 attack last year.

Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, will recite a prayer at an event to commemorate the anniversary with the American Jewish Committee.

Trump has blamed both Harris and President Joe Biden for the war, arguing their administration empowered Iran, and tried to take advantage of some of the divisions within the Democratic Party with progressives protesting Israel’s military campaign, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians.

Some of his statements on Israel overlook his association with people who spew antisemitic rhetoric such as far-right activist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

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Trump has also repeatedly said that Jewish voters who vote for Democrats “should have their head examined” and recently said that if he loses the presidential election to Harris on Nov. 5 “the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that.”

In an excerpt released from an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that will air Monday night, Harris appeared to avoid answering a question about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considered “a real close ally,” and said that “The better question is: Do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes.”

Trump’s own relations with Netanyahu have been rocky. They soured after the Israeli prime minister became one of the first world leaders to congratulate President Joe Biden for his 2020 victory, which Trump continues to deny. A few days after the Oct. 7 attack last year, Trump publicly criticized Netanyahu and said he “was not prepared” for the deadly incursion from Gaza on Oct. 7. Trump said Netanyahu had let the U.S. down just before the U.S. killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

Since then, the two have met to talk about a cease-fire deal for Gaza.

Halie Soifer, head of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said the conflict in the Middle East — including fighting with Hezbollah and Iran — has left Jewish voters “with a sense of vulnerability and concern for Israel’s future.” Soifer previously advised Harris on national security issues.

But she says Harris has been consistent with the message of commitment to Israel’s defense for the last year, and said Harris and Biden have directed U.S. forces to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel on multiple occasions.

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Megerian reported from Washington.