Harris urgesa pause in fighting
VP meets with top Israeli official
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris, who has emerged as one of the leading voices for Palestinians in closeddoor meetings, pressed for a pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip with a member of Israel’s war Cabinet, Benny Gantz, at the White House on Monday afternoon, according to the White House.
The vice president emphasized the urgency of securing a hostage deal and reducing the humanitarian crisis that has unfolded alongside Israel’s war against Hamas in response to attacks on Oct. 7. She praised Israel’s “constructive approach” to seeking a six-week cease-fire but urged the government to do more to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid to reach those in need in Gaza.
“The vice president expressed her deep concern about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the recent horrific tragedy around an aid convoy in northern Gaza,” a White House description of the meeting said. It added that “she urged Israel to take additional measures in cooperation with the United States and international partners to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”
The meeting came as the United States said it would continue airdrops of food that began Saturday in an effort to confront what humanitarian groups say is a crisis for the more than 1 million displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in southern Gaza, as Israel prepares to deploy ground forces there.
Although Harris has not strayed too far from President Biden’s war message, in a speech Sunday she took a tougher tone in demanding an “immediate cease-fire.” Still, she directed her remarks at Hamas, not Israel’s leadership, and repeated that she and the president remained “unwavering in our commitment to Israel’s security.”
In meetings at the White House, she has been forceful in urging the administration not to dismiss the anger from Palestinian Americans and others in the United States, who contend that Biden has not done enough to prevent the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Harris’ remarks are a shift in the administration’s public position on Gaza and are meant in part to address a deepening political liability for Biden as he campaigns for reelection this year. In Michigan last week, about 100,000 voters in the Democratic primary cast ballots for “uncommitted,” many of them to register anger about the president’s unwavering support for Israel.
Harris’ focus on Israel could also help promote her foreign policy credentials at a time when many in her party have questioned whether she is ready to take over for Biden if something were to happen to him.
The public remarks from the vice president come as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened. After 100 Palestinians were killed in a chaotic scene at an aid convoy last week, she issued a statement that went beyond the careful comments from other US national security officials. On Sunday, she said that “people in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.”
Gantz, a former chief of staff of the Israeli military who visited Washington last year, was scheduled to meet separately with Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, his office said in a statement.