Kamala Harris indicated a significant change in U.S. policy towards Gaza on Thursday, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finalize a peace agreement and emphasizing that she would not remain “silent” about the plight of Palestinians in the region.
In a departure from President Joe Biden’s approach of primarily behind-the-scenes diplomacy with Israel, the Vice President called for an end to the “devastating” conflict following her meeting with Netanyahu.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” Harris told reporters.
“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent.”
The 59-year-old, now the likely Democratic presidential nominee after Biden announced he would not seek re-election in November, emphasized that she confronted Netanyahu about the urgent situation in their “frank” meeting.
She said she “expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering and Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians.”
“And I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there.”
Harris also advocated for the creation of a Palestinian state and urged both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and a deal for releasing hostages. This push aims to end the conflict triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
“As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done,” she said.
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Harris’s candid remarks starkly contrasted with the generally cordial exchanges between Biden and Netanyahu earlier that day, though these interactions hid months of underlying tensions between the two leaders and raised questions about the US president’s influence.
“From a proud Zionist Jew to a proud Zionist Irish American, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu paid tribute to Biden at the beginning of their Oval Office meeting.
Harris has been notably more vocal about Gaza compared to Biden, leading to speculation about her potentially adopting a more assertive stance on Israel. However, officials have denied any significant differences between her position and Biden’s.
The White House indicated that Biden would stress the need for “compromise” in his discussions with Netanyahu. This comes after Netanyahu’s recent address to the US Congress, where he promised a “total victory” over Hamas.
“The president will be reaffirming for Prime Minister Netanyahu that he believes we need to get there, and we need to get there soon,” spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Following their meeting, Biden and Netanyahu met with the families of US hostages held in Gaza. The families expressed hope for a potential new ceasefire proposal in the coming days.
“We feel probably more optimistic than we have since the first round of releases in late November,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, spoke to reporters after the meeting.
Protesters rallied outside the metal barriers surrounding the White House, chanting slogans following tumultuous demonstrations during Netanyahu’s address to lawmakers.
Despite Biden’s continued military support to Israel since the October 7 Hamas attacks, tensions have grown between him and Netanyahu. The strain stems from Israel’s actions during the conflict and concerns that Netanyahu may be delaying a potential agreement.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, most of whom were civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Of the 251 people taken hostage that day, 111 remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip, with 39 confirmed dead.
In response, Israel’s offensive against Hamas has led to the deaths of at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, as reported by the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown between civilian and militant casualties.
(Includes inputs from online sources)
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