Vice President Kamala Harris called again Thursday for an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza — without mentioning the name of the terrorist group that started the conflict and only saying that a cease-fire deal must be “done immediately.”
The Democratic nominee also laid out a curious vision for the aftermath of the Middle East conflict during an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia.
“That there be no reoccupation of Gaza, that there be no changing of the territorial lines in Gaza, that there be an ability to have security in the region for all concerned in a way that we create stability,” she said, without elaborating on who should control the Palestinian enclave in the absence of an Israeli force.
Harris, 59, also stumbled when recounting that “1,200 Israelis” and “some Americans” were “slaughtered” by the jihadist group on Oct. 7, when in fact US officials have said that at least 40 US citizens lost their lives in the atrocity — and included those deaths in the estimation of nearly 1,200 fatalities.
The veep also said that “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed” in the war and recommitted the US to the long-standing “goal of a two-state solution, ecause there must be stability and peace in that region … our goal is to ensure that Israelis have security and Palestinians, in equal measure, have security, have self-dimension and dignity”
Democrats have been bedeviled this election cycle by a vocal minority of Israel critics based in key states like Michigan, which has the largest Arab population in the US, and which encouraged voters to write “uncommitted” in party primaries earlier this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a two-state solution and a cease-fire are at odds with the Jewish state’s right to defend itself against Hamas, Hezbollah and other proxies of its main enemy, Iran.
While Harris paid lip service to Israel’s right to self-defense, the VP added she was in “support” of a pause the US put on 2,000-pound bomb shipments to Israel back in May.
“There is some leverage that we have had and used,” Harris said of the weapons halt, adding that “we are doing the work of putting the pressure on all parties involved to get the deal done.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Egypt on Tuesday to continue pressing for negotiations, but will not be visiting Israel, a possible sign that a deal is not imminent.
The Netanyahu government came under new pressure to hammer out an agreement to release the remaining hostages last month after six Israeli captives, including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were found dead in a Hamas tunnel under the city of Rafah.
Approximately 100 hostages are still believed to be held alive by Hamas.