Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign named Ilan Goldenberg, a Middle East policy expert who served in a key role in 2013 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, as its Jewish outreach director. JTA first reported the hire on Monday. 

Goldenberg joined the Biden administration in 2021 at the Department of Defense, before moving to Harris’ team as a Middle East advisor in 2023. In April, he transitioned to the White House National Security Council.

“He was the vice president’s top staff on Middle East issues on October 7, so I think she probably knows him very well and trusts his judgment and his expertise on Israel issues, which are obviously very important to the Jewish community,” said Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at Israel Policy Forum. 

Koplow authored a 2020 report with Goldenberg calling for a “new U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” focused on promoting “freedom, security and prosperity for all people living between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River” — language that has become a key part of President Joe Biden’s approach to the region.

The pick reflects the significance that Israel is expected to play in this fall’s election. It’s unusual for a campaign’s top Jewish outreach official to come from a foreign policy background, rather than from the political world. Aaron Keyak, Biden’s 2020 Jewish outreach director, had experience working on campaigns, as did Sarah Bard, who held the role for Hillary Clinton in 2016. During the 2020 Democratic primary, Goldenberg advised Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Middle East issues. 

“He’s not just a political or campaign hire. He’s an experienced foreign policy expert who has worked directly with the vice president on Middle East policy, which says a lot about how they view the scope and importance of this role,” said Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

A campaign aide told JI that Goldenberg will also advise Harris on policy, and that he will be “the campaign’s main liaison with Jewish community leaders and stakeholders and advise the campaign on issues related to the U.S.-Israel relationship, the war in Gaza and the broader Middle East.” Dean Lieberman, Harris’ deputy national security advisor, will continue to handle Jewish engagement from her official office. 

Goldenberg, who was born in Israel, is known in Washington as a strong advocate of the two-state solution and a supporter of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, alongside Harris’ national security advisor Phil Gordon, with whom Goldenberg has worked closely. At the start of the Biden administration in 2021, Goldenberg argued for the U.S. to rejoin the 2015 deal before negotiating a “longer and stronger” deal with Iran. 

His selection earned praise from progressives and some centrist Democrats, but quickly sparked criticism from more hawkish circles.

“Ilan Goldenberg is one of the most respected, thoughtful people in Washington working with the Jewish community and on Israel-Palestine,” J Street president Jeremy Ben-Ami told Jewish Insider. “What a great pick by the Harris-Walz campaign for this sensitive assignment.” 

Conservatives criticized Harris for the pick, attacking Goldenberg for his work on the National Security Council as a proponent of Biden’s sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank, according to a report published in Tablet this weekend. 

Daniel Silverberg, a former longtime foreign policy advisor to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), argued that “criticism of Ilan, in my view, stems from long-standing grudges against the Obama Iran deal,” he told JI. “Besides that, Ilan and Phil Gordon are mainstream Democratic foreign policy hands with a deep appreciation of the U.S.-Israel relationship.” (Silverberg has worked with Goldenberg in the past.)

In the Obama administration, Goldenberg served as chief of staff to Martin Indyk, who was the special envoy for Middle East peace. It was the last time a serious diplomatic effort was underway to reach a two-state solution. Before that, he served as a staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, advising both former Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Bob Menedez (D-NJ). 

“He obviously takes Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy very seriously,” said Koplow. “To the extent that that makes people on the right uncomfortable — ultimately, the Israelis and Palestinians are absolutely going to have to negotiate for some sort of political resolution. And I think that’s pretty mainstream positioning within the Democratic Party.”

Harris has taken a different rhetorical approach to Israel and the war in Gaza than Biden, offering more sympathetic words to the Palestinian victims in Gaza and extending an olive branch to some anti-Israel protesters who threatened to sit out the election if Biden were the nominee. On policy, her positions have not diverged from Biden’s; after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July, she reiterated her “unwavering commitment” to Israel while calling for all parties to finally reach a hostage and ceasefire agreement. 

Goldenberg lacks experience on other issues that Harris will need to cultivate to connect with Jewish voters, like antisemitism. In July, after pro-Hamas protesters vandalized Union Station, Harris called them “abhorrent” and said “antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.” 

Still, Harris has not spoken at length about antisemitism or started concerted outreach to the Jewish community since becoming the Democratic nominee in July.  

“I want to see more proactive outreach from her, and I think with Ilan in place, that’s going to happen,” said Silverberg. “He’s going to help organize the voices of people who care about this issue, who get it and that jive with, I think, Harris’ world view.”