Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to reporters on Thursday after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, criticizing Israel, and not Hamas, for “the enormity of human suffering” in Gaza.
Breitbart News reported that Harris met with Netanyahu for 40 minutes at the White House.
Harris told reporters that Israel has the right to defend itself, but “how it does so matters.” She argued that “the war in Gaza is not an either-or issue,” denying the moral transparency of a conflict that began with Hamas’ massacre of innocent Israelis.
Breaking News: Vice President Harris speaks after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
Harris called for an immediate ceasefire to free the hostages.
The vice president said he would “not be silent” about the suffering in Gaza, the “catastrophic” loss of life and the “dire” humanitarian crisis. pic.twitter.com/Fe5QPoOuFh
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 25, 2024
Her full comment is below:
I just had a frank and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I told him that I will always guarantee that Israel can defend itself against Iran and Iranian-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah. From my time as a young girl raising money to plant trees for Israel, to my time as a U.S. Senator, to now in the White House, I have been unwaveringly committed to the existence of the State of Israel, its security, and its people. I have said it many times, but it bears repeating: Israel has the right to defend itself, and how it does so matters. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization. On October 7, Hamas massacred 1,200 innocent people, including 44 Americans, and sparked this war. Hamas has committed horrific acts of sexual violence and taken 250 people hostage. American citizens remain held captive in Gaza: Sagi Deo Hen Hirsch, Goldberg, Poland Idan, Alexander Keith Segal, and Omar Neutra. And the remains of Judy Weinstein, God Haggai and Itay Hen, who are American citizens, remain in Gaza. I have met with the families of these American hostages many times. And each time, I have told them that they are not alone, that I am with them. And President Biden and I are working every day to bring them home. I have also conveyed to the Prime Minister my serious concerns about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the deaths of too many innocent civilians. And I have made clear my serious concerns about the dire humanitarian situation on the ground. More than 2 million people face severe levels of food insecurity, and 500,000 face catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity. What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months has been devastating. Images of dead children and desperate, starving people fleeing for safety, sometimes forced to flee for a second, third or fourth time. We cannot turn a blind eye to these tragedies. We cannot become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent. Thanks to President Joe Biden’s leadership, a ceasefire and hostage agreement is on the table, and it’s important to remember what’s in that agreement. The first phase of the agreement will see a complete ceasefire, including the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas of Gaza. The second phase will see Israeli forces fully withdraw from Gaza, leading to a permanent end to hostilities. It’s time to end this war, to end it in a way that Israel is safe, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and Palestinians can exercise their right to freedom, dignity, and self-determination. There is hopeful movement in the negotiations to secure the agreement of this agreement. And as I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier, now is the time to get this agreement done. So to all those who have been calling for a ceasefire, and all those who long for peace, I see you, I hear you. Let’s get the agreement done, get the ceasefire done, and end the war. Let’s bring the hostages home. And let’s provide the Palestinian people with the relief they so desperately need. And ultimately, we will continue to seek a path that leads to a two-state solution. I know that at this point in time, that prospect is difficult to envision. But a two-state solution is the only way that Israel can remain a secure, Jewish-ruled, democratic state, and the only way that the Palestinian people can finally achieve the freedom, security, and prosperity that they rightfully deserve. So, I will end here. For the American people, we must remember that the war in Gaza is not a binary issue. But too often the debate falls into this binary, when the reality is simply not that. So I ask my fellow Americans to encourage efforts to acknowledge the complexities, nuances, and history of this region. Let us all condemn terrorism and violence. Let us all do what we can to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians. And let us all condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and hatred of all kinds. And let us work to unite our country. Thank you.
In a speech to parliament, Netanyahu said the war with Hamas was a clear conflict between good and evil.
The world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, an Iranian terrorist axis faces off against America, Israel and our Arab friends. This is not a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between barbarism and civilization. It is a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life.
For the forces of civilization to prevail, America and Israel must unite, because if we unite, a very simple thing will happen: we win and they lose.
Harris did not attend Netanyahu’s speech, instead speaking at a luncheon with members of her college sorority network.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
