While the rumors still fly about who Vice President Kamala Harris might choose as her running mate, the unknown elements of the possible candidates have been dominating the news.

Of recent interest is Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has been forced to defend his previous stance on Israel, as the New York Post reported.

The Conflict

This has become a topic of conversation after an op-ed from roughly 30 years ago was brought to light, where he spoke to having been a volunteer in the Israeli army, and he disparaged the Palestinian people.

“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,” Shapiro’s spokesman Manuel Bonder told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“The Governor greatly values their perspectives and the experiences he has learned from over the years – and as a result, as with many issues, his views on the Middle East have evolved into the position he holds today,” Bonder continued.

The Reporting

The Philadelphia Inquirer found an essay that Shapiro had written for the University of Rochester's student newspaper, the Campus Times. Shapiro graduated from the university in 1995.

In the article, Shapiro stressed his view that “Palestinians will not peacefully coexist,” because “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.”

“They are too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own,” Shapiro wrote, identifying himself as a “past volunteer in the Israeli army.” He referred to the Arab world as divided and “belligerent.”

The Backlash

Current Vice President Harris received the Democrat nomination last week, and as a result, the remarks have reappeared as part of an exhaustive evaluation of Shapiro, who is drawing near to a possible vice presidential contender.

The extreme left wing of the Democratic Party is strongly in favor of the Palestinian cause, hence Shapiro's stance on Israel has caused friction inside the party.

Opponents of his nomination have started the "No Genocide Josh" movement and are still pressuring Harris to choose another running mate.

Critics of Shapiro, according to some Jewish lawmakers, are being unjust and imply that Jewish politicians can't be impartial when it comes to Israel.

The Commentary

“I think there is that sense that somehow we’re not objective [on Israel] because we’re Jewish, which is just not true or fair,” Rep. Greg Landsman, (D-OH), told Axios.

“There are a lot of members who are pro-Israel who have been protested against — I think as Jews it feels particularly intense and personal,” he added.

Bonder disputed the notion that the governor's views on Israel can be gleaned from the opinion piece, which was written many years ago. Of course, as a liberal Democrat Shapiro supports a two-state solution in Israel despite all the evidence in the world that it would be a disaster for Israel on every level.