Harris, considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race on Sunday, took a firm and serious tone regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying, “We cannot be insensitive to the suffering and I will not remain silent.” Analysts speculate whether Harris, if elected president, will adopt a more aggressive policy towards Netanyahu, although major changes in U.S. policy towards Israel are not expected.
President Biden had previously urged Netanyahu to remove obstacles to achieving a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu is set to meet Harris’s Republican rival, Donald Trump, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Friday.
CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE
Ceasefire negotiations have been ongoing for months, and U.S. officials believe that the parties are closer than ever to a six-week ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of women, the sick, elderly, and injured hostages. Harris said, “There are promising developments to secure this agreement, and as I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time for this agreement to be made.”
As Vice President, Harris has generally supported Israel’s right to self-defense, following Biden’s lead. However, on Thursday, she made it clear that her patience with Israel’s military approach is wearing thin. In March, during Israel’s ground operation in Gaza, she criticized Israel for not doing enough to mitigate a “humanitarian catastrophe” and warned that there could be “consequences” if Israel launched a full-scale invasion of refugee-filled Rafah.
U.S. ELECTIONS
The Gaza conflict has divided the Democratic Party and sparked months of protests at Biden events. The drop in support among Arab Americans could harm the Democrats' chances in states like Michigan, which are likely to decide the November 5 election.
In a speech from the Oval Office on Wednesday, Biden announced his decision not to seek re-election to promote party unity and defeat Trump, endorsing Harris as his successor. Harris is seen as having closer ties with Democratic progressives, some of whom are calling for conditions on U.S. arms shipments to Israel due to high civilian casualties in Gaza.
Biden and Netanyahu met with the families of Americans held hostage by Hamas, expressing their hopes for a ceasefire that includes the hostages' release. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, who spoke on behalf of the families, said, “We came here today with a sense of urgency.”
