Did Kamala Harris snub Josh Shapiro due to ‘anti-Jewish bias’? CNN commentator weighs in

On Tuesday, Van Jones of CNN expressed doubts that antisemitism in the Democratic Party could have a bearing on the decision of Kamala Harris, Vice- President , not to choose Josh Shapiro, the Governor of Pennsylvania. However, Harris nominated Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, leaving many wondering if Shapiro, who was earlier considered a shoo-in, was ignored because of his Jewish origin.

Van Jones expresses uncertainty about Kamala Harris’s decision about choosing the VP(CNN)

Following the announcement, Jones expressed uncertainty about the reasons behind the decision. “Is it just because he’s a moderate, or is there some anti-Jewish bias here?” Jones pondered, noting that Harris’s choice of Walz comes from a state that hasn’t supported a Republican presidential candidate since 1972.

“You also have anti-Semitism that has gotten marbled into this party. You can be for the Palestinians without being an anti-Jewish bigot, but there are some anti-Jewish bigots out there.”

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He continued, “And there’s some disquiet now – and there has to be – how much of what just happened is caving into some of these darker parts of the party?”

Shapiro has faced criticism from the far-left, particularly from anti-Israel factions within the Democratic Party, due to his past positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

30-year-old op-ed comes back to haunt Shapiro amid VP speculation

Recently, Shapiro was compelled to address a pro-Israel op-ed he wrote over 30 years ago as a college student. In the column, he recounted his experiences with the Israeli Defense Forces and expressed scepticism about the Palestinians’ ability to establish a successful state. Shapiro wrote, “Palestinians will not peacefully coexist,” and suggested, “they do not have the capabilities to establish their own homelands and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States”.

However, Manuel Bonder, Shapiro’s spokesperson, told Fox News Digital, “Since he wrote this piece as a 20-year-old student, Gov. Shapiro has built close, meaningful, informative relationships with many Muslim-American, Arab-American, Palestinian Christian, and Jewish community leaders all across Pennsylvania.”

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Representative Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts also defended Shapiro, condemning the attacks against him as having a “strong undercurrent of antisemitism.” He expressed his views on CNN: “Some people had their hopes up.”

“Maybe you’re going to get another shot at a Jewish vice president. We haven’t had that for two decades, and now that gets pulled away.”