Middle East conflict looms over White House race as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump seek edge

Both candidates are bidding for the votes of Arab and Muslim American voters and Jewish voters, particularly in extremely tight races in the battleground states of Michigan and Pennsylvania

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has tried to tread a careful path on the Middle East – not always successfully (AP)

Two weeks out from US Election Day, the crisis in the Middle East is looming over the race for the White House, with Kamala Harris struggling to find the right words to navigate its difficult cross-currents, while her opponent Donald Trump makes bold pronouncements that the age-old conflict can quickly be set right.

US Vice President Ms Harris has been painstakingly — and not always successfully — trying to balance talk of strong support for Israel with harsh condemnations of civilian casualties among Palestinians and others caught up in Israel’s wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.