US must resolve its incoherence over Gaza war

▶ Vice President Harris’s call for a ceasefire is welcome but jars with her administration’s policy

With the death toll mounting by the day, exceeding 30,500 confirmed fatalities, according to local authorities, it is more important than ever for influential countries to demand a halt to the killing.

US Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent comments calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, however, pose more than a few questions. This is not just because of the incoherence characterising Washington’s role in this brutal war so far – something exemplified last week by American involvement in aid drops for Gazan civilians who are being pummelled by US-supplied Israeli weaponry.

The Vice President’s statement begs the question: if the US truly wants a rapid end to the violence in Gaza, then why didn’t US President Joe Biden deliver the statement himself?

Although the sentiment is welcome – Ms Harris said “the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self-determination” should be respected – if it is to mean effective change, then it must be accompanied by US action. This is something that has been sorely lacking, not just after the October 7 attacks but in the preceding years marked by Israel’s occupation and settlement of Palestinian land as well as its blockade of Gaza.

It is difficult to reconcile the words expressed by Ms Harris on Sunday with the direction the White House has taken on the war. The US’s vetoing of several UN Security Council ceasefire resolutions while pushing for more military aid to Israel jars with this latest call for peace.

Since Israel began its calamitous response to the disastrous Hamas attack, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has effectively ignored US calls to exercise restraint or minimise civilian casualties. Instead, we have seen a catastrophe unfold in real time.

Mr Biden’s Democrats have already seen how this is playing out among some sections of the US electorate. One poll published on Friday found that Americans are split on whether the US should continue providing military aid to Israel.

Disquiet over the war can even be detected in some parts of Israeli society. Israeli MP Ofer Cassif has received death threats for acknowledging that “the vast majority of the victims [in Gaza] are innocent civilians”. Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, last month criticised police for assaulting protesters in Tel Aviv who were demanding faster government action to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

The abrupt resignation this week of several senior military spokesmen during wartime and a public call by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for an end to military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews adds to the overall impression of ferment.

Back in Washington, Ms Harris and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan are due to meet former Israeli military chief and current war cabinet member Benny Gantz for talks today. If Ms Harris’s statement is to hold any weight, then the world needs to see a different approach that demands accountability from a country that is the recipient of vast sums of US money and aid.