US Vice President Kamala Harris told the US press last night that she and President Joe Biden have the same political views regarding Israel and Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip. Journalists wondered about this after Harris' surprisingly strong statements the day before.
Harris said during an election rally for the Democratic Party in Alabama on Sunday that a “humanitarian catastrophe” was occurring in the Gaza Strip. “The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. There are no excuses,” Harris said.
It seemed more critical of Israel than President Biden usually is. US media suggested that Harris should stop now after Biden was accused in Democratic circles of being too supportive of Israel.
“The president and I have been consistently on the same page from the beginning,” Harris said last night. She noted that during the election campaign, she called, as Biden did several times, for a six-week ceasefire. “Israel has the right to defend itself, but too many innocent Palestinian civilians have already been killed.”
Harris continued: “We need to get more aid into the Gaza Strip, and get more hostages out of the Gaza Strip.” “This is our position and will remain.” Israel and Hamas are conducting negotiations for a possible ceasefire mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Dylan Van Beckum
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