U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has vowed not to remain “silent” about the suffering in Gaza, emphasizing the hardships faced by Palestinians. After meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Thursday, Harris affirmed her unwavering commitment to Israel’s security while acknowledging that “far too many” innocent civilians have been killed in the conflict.
“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,” said Harris.
“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.”
Harris, likely the Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek re-election, stated that she urged Netanyahu to accept a US-backed ceasefire proposal.
“It is time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination,” Harris mentioned.
Harris reaffirmed her support for Israel’s right to self-defense, denounced Hamas as a “brutal terrorist organization,” and named five US citizens thought to be held captive by Hamas in Gaza, along with two others whose remains are believed to be in the enclave.
“I have met with the families of these American hostages multiple times now, and I have told each time they are not alone and I stand with them, and President Biden and I are working every day to bring them home,” she stated.
Aljazeera Posted on X:
”I have had an unwavering commitment to the existence of the State of Israel, to its security, and to the people of Israel.”
US VP Kamala Harris says she expressed her ‘serious concerns’ to Israeli PM Netanyahu about the ‘scale of human suffering in Gaza.’ pic.twitter.com/1U0KErqiDL
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 26, 2024
Acknowledging the divisions over Israel and Gaza, Harris also urged Americans to recognize the “complexity” and “nuance” of the conflict.
“Too often, the conversation is binary, when the reality is anything but,” said Harris.
While Harris’s comments didn’t highlight significant policy differences from Biden, her strong focus on Palestinian suffering contrasted with Biden’s more restrained, behind-the-scenes efforts to moderate Israel’s actions.
Biden’s approach to Gaza has caused friction with progressive members of the Democratic Party and many Muslim-Americans, including a large community in Michigan, a crucial swing state for November’s election.
Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane noted from Washington that Harris emphasized Palestinian suffering more extensively than Biden has, even as she aimed to reinforce her pro-Israel stance.
“She talked about the number of starvations. The number of people who are food insecure. The number of people who have had to move several times. She talked about seeing pictures of dead children,” Culhane stated.
“You don’t see that in the US media. You don’t see it on the front pages of newspapers. Almost hardly at all. There is very little discussion about the plight of the people in Gaza.”
Although Harris positioned herself to the left of Biden during her unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign, she has consistently supported Israel. After joining the US Senate in 2017, her first international trip was to Israel, and one of her initial actions was to introduce a resolution opposing a UN Security Council resolution that condemned Israel.
In 2017, Harris also spoke at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual convention, asserting that the US-Israel bond was “unbreakable” and that efforts to create division were unacceptable. However, in an interview with the Israeli news site Ynet published on Tuesday, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, acknowledged Harris’s generally positive record but noted she had made several “problematic statements” regarding the Gaza conflict.
