Kamala Harris, after her talks with Netanyahu, stated, “I will not be silent” about the suffering in Gaza
Vice President Kamala Harris made a public statement on the humanitarian catastrophe that engulfed Gaza after her conversation with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. From Selma, Alabama, where she has gone to participate in activities for the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” Harris said there is an instant requirement for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian support for Gaza. She described the terrible conditions Gazans have to endure, from people dying of malnutrition and dehydration to calling the situation “inhumane.”.
Harris demanded at least a six-week ceasefire, saying it was necessary to allow the passage of critical aid and to negotiate the release of hostages still being held by Hamas. She said the Israeli government is not doing enough to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid and pressed for new border crossings to be opened and for relief from “unnecessary restrictions” placed upon the delivery of aid.
It is among the firmest public positions on the conflict from the Biden administration. Harris said she and her fellow leaders were deeply troubled by the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza; reiterated that the threat posed by Hamas had to be defeated and it citing an estimate of more than 28,000 people killed in Gaza since the conflict started, reports said, as the United Nations warned Tuesday that more than 570,000 people are on the brink of famine.
Her comments were made when progressive members within democrats were demanding more confrontation on the Israeli aggression on Gaza, while the Biden administration has insisted on defending the right of Israel to retaliate against Hamas.
Thus, Harris’s comments occurred at a time of the excellent relations between the United States and Israel with the escalating debate over how to address the humanitarian crisis and the military operations in Gaza. Her call for a ceasefire and a request for more delivering of aid indicate how the administration seeks to support Israel following increasing humanitarian concerns as well as home politics.
Pro-Harris backers say she is more likely to slam Netanyahu and shine a light on civilian tolls among the Palestinians from the war in Gaza, even though she had maintained U.S. military aid and other support for Israel as a linchpin of Biden’s foreign policy.
“I think we’re closer now than we’ve been before to getting a cease-fire, an end to hostilities, from the Israelis and Hamas,” one official said; a framework for an agreement that’s been agreed upon, but some severe implementation issues … still had to be resolved. “I don’t expect the meeting to be a yes or no,” the official said. “It’s like: ‘How do we close these final gaps?
Netanyahu promised “total victory” in the Gaza war during a raucous speech to a joint session of Congress Wednesday, saying there are “intensive” efforts to bring the hostages home but giving very little detail on how that would be achieved.
Harris – the presiding officer in the Senate – was a no-show for Netanyahu’s speech at a joint session of Congress on Wednesday but later stated that her absence shouldn’t be seen as boycotting it.
Netanyahu said he met Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk in Washington on Wednesday following his address to Congress. “We discussed the opportunities and challenges in AI, its impact on the economy and society, and explored ways for technological cooperation with Israel,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.
He is also due to see Trump on Friday at his Mar-a-Lago house. Relations between the two men have been strained since Netanyahu congratulated Biden after his election victory in 2020, for which Trump has claimed, again without evidence, was rigged.
