U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to assist in achieving a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Taking a more assertive stance than President Joe Biden, she urged him to lessen the suffering of Palestinian citizens.
“It’s time for this war to end,” Harris declared on television following her in-person discussions with Netanyahu.
Following Biden’s withdrawal from the contest on Sunday, Harris spoke bluntly about the humanitarian calamity in Gaza. She is expected to be the Democratic nominee for president if she wins.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be numb to the suffering and I will not be silent,” she declared.
With her pointed and somber tone, Harris posed the question of whether, should she win the presidency on November 5, she would deal with Netanyahu more forcefully. However, experts do not anticipate a significant change in US policy toward Israel, the country’s closest Middle East partner.
According to Israeli estimates, the fighting started on October 7 when Hamas terrorists launched an onslaught on southern Israel from Gaza. They killed 1,200 people and captured over 250 others.
More than 39,000 people have died as a result of Israel’s retaliatory attack on Gaza. Furthermore, this attack has caused a humanitarian crisis, including starvation, a lack of emergency supplies, and the destruction of most of the coastal enclave.
During their earlier discussion, President Biden informed Prime Minister Netanyahu of the need to bridge differences. Consequently, this would achieve a truce in Gaza and facilitate the removal of barriers to aid delivery.
On Friday, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Netanyahu will take on Donald Trump, the Republican opponent of Harris.
The talks about a ceasefire have lasted for months. U.S. officials report that the negotiating parties are nearing an unprecedented agreement. Consequently, this deal would secure a six-week ceasefire, provided that Hamas releases the hostages, including women, children, the elderly, and the injured.
“There has been hopeful movement in the talks to secure an agreement on this deal, and as I just told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done,” Harris stated.
She has largely agreed with Biden as vice president to support Israel’s right to self-defense. However, on Thursday, she made it apparent that she was growing impatient with Israel’s military strategy.
“Israel has a right to defend itself,” Harris stated, “And how it does so matters.”
She boldly declared in March that Israel’s ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave was a “humanitarian catastrophe” and that Israel was not doing enough to help the situation. Subsequently, she did not completely rule out “consequences” for Israel in the event that it invaded the heavily populated refugee area of Rafah in southern Gaza.
A SEPARATED PARTY
The Democratic Party has been severely damaged by the Gaza crisis, which has also led to months of protests at Biden engagements. Democratic hopes in Michigan, one of the few states that will likely determine the outcome of the election on November 5th, face a challenge. Specifically, a decline in Arab American support could harm these prospects.
Regarding those worries, Harris asked Americans to support initiatives that “encourage efforts to understand the complexity, the nuance and the history of the region.”
“To everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you,” she continued. “Let’s get the deal done so we can get a ceasefire to end the war.”
In an Oval Office speech on Wednesday, Biden announced that he chose to back Harris in the 2024 election instead of running for reelection. He made this decision because he wanted the Democratic Party to unite in its fight against Trump.
Because of the high number of Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza, some Democratic progressives, including Harris, have asked Biden to impose limitations on U.S. arms supplies to Israel. Israel receives a lot of weaponry from the United States, which has shielded the nation from important UN votes.
The relatives of Americans detained by Hamas met with Biden and Netanyahu and voiced hope for a truce that would free the captives. “We came today with a sense of urgency,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son is a captive.
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