‘It is time for this war to end,’ Harris tells Netanyahu; ‘I will not be silent’ on Palestinian suffering

Vice
President

Kamala
Harris
said
“Israel
has
a
right
to
defend
itself
…
and
how
it
does
so
matters.”
Harris’
remarks
followed
a
meeting
she
held
with
Israeli
Prime
Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu
in
Washington
Thursday.

“It
is
time
for
this
war
to
end
and
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,”
said
Harris.

Since
Harris
launched
her
campaign
on
Sunday,
the
de
facto
Democratic
presidential
nominee
has
been
under
pressure
to
further
define
her
position
on
the

Israeli
war
with
Hamas
in
Gaza,
now
in
its
tenth
month.

Harris
said
her
conversation
with
Netanyahu
was
“frank,”
and
she
pressed
him
to
continue
making
headway
on
a
multi-stage
plan
to
scale
back
the
warfare
in
densely
populated
Gaza,
to
release
hostages
and
to
permit
Palestinians
in
Gaza
to
resume
their
daily
lives.

“There
has
been
hopeful
movement
and
the
talks
to
secure
an
agreement
on
this
deal,”
she
said.
“And
as
I
just
told
Prime
Minister
Netanyahu,
it
is
time
to
get
this
deal
done.”

“So
to
everyone
who
has
been
calling
for
a
ceasefire.
And
to
everyone
who
yearns
for
peace.
I
see
you
and
I
hear
you….Let’s
bring
the
hostages
home.
And
let’s
provide
much
needed
relief
to
the
Palestinian
people.”

The
White
House
later
said
that
Harris
and
Netanyahu
also
discussed
the
administration’s
“work
to
ensure
Israel
can
defend
itself
from
threats
from
Iran
and
Iranian-backed
terrorist
groups,
including
Hamas,
Lebanese
Hezbollah,
and
the
Houthis,
and
the
importance
of
combatting
the
rise
in
Antisemitism
globally.”

The
meeting
came
amid
a
polarizing
visit
to
Washington
by
Netanyahu
and
the
Israeli
delegation.

While
Netanyahu

spoke
to
a
joint
session
of
Congress
on
Wednesday,
thousands
of
pro-Palestinian
protesters
gathered
outside
the
U.S.
Capitol
to
protest
his
visit
and
America’s
support
for
Israel.
The
protesters
vandalized
statues
and
burned
American
flags,
replacing
them
with
Palestinian
flags.

“I
condemn
any
individuals
associating
with
the
brutal
terrorist
organization
Hamas,
which
has
vowed
to
annihilate
the
State
of
Israel
and
kill
Jews,”
Harris
said
in
a
statement
on
the
protests
earlier
Thursday.
“Pro-Hamas
graffiti
and
rhetoric
is
abhorrent
and
we
must
not
tolerate
it
in
our
nation.”

“Let
us
all
condemn
terrorism
and
violence,”
Harris
said
after
meeting
with
Netanyahu
Thursday.
“Let
us
all
do
what
we
can
to
prevent
the
suffering
of
innocent
civilians.
And
let
us
condemn
anti-Semitism,
Islamophobia
and
hate
of
any
kind.
And
let
us
work
to
unite
our
country.”

Biden
and
Netanyahu
held
a
bilateral
meeting
in
the
Oval
Office
earlier
in
the
day,
after
which
the
two
heads
of
state
met
with
the
families
of
American
hostages.

“We
feel
probably
more
optimistic
than
we
have
since
the
first
round
of
releases
in
late
November,
early
December,
where
a
little
over
100
of
Israel’s
hostages
were
released,”
Jonathan
Dekel-Chen,
whose
son
Sagui
is
currently
being
held
hostage
in
Gaza,
said.

“We
got
absolute
commitment
from
the
Biden
administration
and
from
Prime
Minister
Netanyahu
that
they
understand
the
urgency
of
this
moment
now,
to
waste
no
time,
and
to
complete
this
deal
as
it
currently
stands.”

According
to
the
Ministry
of
Health
in
Gaza,
which
is
controlled
by
Hamas,

the
number
of
Palestinians
reported
killed
since
the
Oct.
7
Hamas
attack
on
Israel
is
more
than
39,000.
In
addition
to
reported
fatalities,
roughly
90,000
Palestinians
have
been
reported
injured.

More
than
1,100
people
were
killed
in
Hamas’
brutal
surprise
attack
on
Israel
Oct.
7,
2023,
triggering
the
Israeli
military
incursion.

“What
has
happened
in
Gaza
over
the
past
nine
months
is
devastating,”
said
Harris.
“We
cannot
look
away
in
the
face
of
these
tragedies.
We
cannot
allow
ourselves
to
become
numb
to
the
suffering.
And
I
will
not
be
silent.”