Vice President Kamala Harris, on the brink of becoming the Democratic nominee, acknowledged the suffering of both the Israeli and Palestinian people during a solo meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pledging not to “look away in the face of these tragedies.”
“We cannot allow ourselves to be numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent,” Harris said Thursday to White House reporters.
In a sign of Biden passing the torch, it was Harris, not the sitting president, who delivered a speech before a backdrop of American flags after her meeting with Netanyahu and outlined the path forward to a ceasefire deal. Biden met earlier with Netanyahu but the pair spoke only briefly on camera.
Harris called her talk with Netanyahu “frank” and acknowledged how the conflict began last October when Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel and murdered some 1,200 people, with an estimated 250 taken captive back to Gaza.
“I repeat: Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters,” Harris said. “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization. On Oct. 7, Hamas triggered this war when it massacred 1,200 innocent people, including 44 Americans.”
The vice president, Biden’s chosen successor after he dropped his reelection bid on Sunday, went on to name each American hostage and speak about her meetings with the families.
“I have met with the families of these American families many times now, and I’ve told them each time they are not alone and I stand with them,” she said.
Harris has been more outspoken and has emerged as a forceful voice on the Israel-Hamas war, particularly in discussing the humanitarian situation in Gaza. She said she reiterated those concerns to Netanyahu.
“I also expressed with the Prime Minister, my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians,” Harris said. “What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating.”
After declining to preside over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, her meeting comes as the Biden administration is looking to find an exit strategy to the nine-month-old war in Gaza.
“It is time for this war to end and to 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,” she said.
Netanyahu met earlier in the day with Biden and with families of the hostages. The prime minister’s visit comes as U.S. officials have expressed optimism about the prospect of a deal to return hostages to their families and end the war. Detailed ceasefire negotiations surrounding a framework agreement are now stretching into their third week.
Biden emphasized in his Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu that he wants Israel and Hamas to quickly agree to a ceasefire deal that would bring home the remaining hostages, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby. The families of American hostages emphasized to both leaders that time is of the essence.
“We came today with a sense of urgency; as you know, as time goes forward, the likelihood of getting our hostages home, our loved ones home, and recovering the bodies of those who have already been murdered becomes less and less likely,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of Sagui Dekel-Chen, said. “So, as families, we came in and really emphasized to the leaders of the United States and Israel a desire to get this deal done.”
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The number of Palestinians killed since the start of the conflict has exceeded 39,000, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. The toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
“They are definitely working on a proposal; it’s going to come out very soon. We believe both parties are working and understand the urgency, and it’s going to come out to the public,” Ronen Neutra, father of Omer Neutra, said.
