Kamala Harris vows ‘I’ll not be silent’ on Gaza in 1st meeting with Netanyahu sparking fears hostage deal will COLLAPSE

4 months ago 8

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US VICE President Kamala Harris has vowed to be “not be silent” on the devastating war in Gaza after her first meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Harris voiced “serious concerns” over the dire situation in the Middle East – sparking fears a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas may collapse again.

Netanyahu Vice President Kamala Harris during their meeting on Thursday

Harris voiced ‘serious concerns’ over the dire situation in the Middle East with the Israeli PM[/caption]

Netanyahu also spoke with current president Joe Biden before the meeting with the VP as the two leaders discussed a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Harris – whose husband is Jewish – spent 40 minutes with Netanyahu afterwards in the White House with the pair reportedly speaking on Israel’s presence in Gaza after the last few months.

Harris announced on Thursday: “I expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians.

“The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes homes displaced for the second, third or fourth time.

“And I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there.”

Netanyahu was reportedly grilled over the lack of food being sent into Gaza and the huge number of Palestinians being displaced from their homes since Israel hit back at Hamas following October 7.

Harris added: “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.”

The potential future president also condemned Hamas as a “brutal terrorist organisation” for causing the chilling war.

She also emphasised her longtime support for Israel and has said she plans on raising money to plant trees in the country where she was brought up.

It comes as Netanyahu’s visit to Washington has been overshadowed by scenes of violence, vandalism and protests over the conflict.

Protesters also burned the American flag and built antisemitic effigies of the Israeli leader.

Harris blasted pro-Hamas graffiti that was scrawled on monuments in protest of Netanyahu’s speech.

She said: “Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation.”

Speaking on a ceasefire agreement, Harris laid out the roadwork which she hopes will make sure Gaza is freed from misery any longer.

The VP announced the first step would see a “full ceasefire” declared.

The complete withdrawal of the Israeli military from civilian areas of Gaza would kick-start the process with aid immediately flown in.

The second phase would see the Israeli military leave the whole of Gaza – leading to a “permanent end to hostilities”.

In return Hamas will be expected to release all of the hostages under their control.

Harris called on a ceasefire in Gaza as she claims the chat was ‘frank and constructive’[/caption]

Harris says she is committed to a providing a two-state solution to ensuring the war ends so that “Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination”.

A similar proposal was announced by Biden earlier this year with him saying Gaza will be rebuilt as soon as the conflict has finished.

Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected all proposals over the last months claiming it doesn’t work for Israel’s security.

The PM says Hamas must be entirely destroyed so that they can never attack Israel again.

After detailing the “frank and constructive” chat between the two, Harris then made a direct appeal to voters who have been calling for Biden to cut ties with Israel until they end the war.

“To everyone who has been calling for a cease-fire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you, and I hear you”, she said.

Netanyahu did not speak publicly on his meeting with Harris.

Harris officially kicked off her campaign for president this week as she arrived in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Tuesday.

She also managed to raise a record $81 million in just 24 hours after she set out her stall to secure the Democratic candidacy.

‘GET TO IT’

President Biden welcomed the Israeli PM to the White House before saying, “We have a lot to talk about. I think we should get to it.”

In his brief remarks to reporters, Netanyahu praised Biden, calling him a proud Irish-American Zionist, and thanked him for his 50 years of support of the state of Israel.

The Israeli leader remains under pressure at home over his handling of the war with Hamas, which has claimed the lives of nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has raged since the Palestinian militant group slaughtered more than 1,000 Israelis on October 7.

Biden is expected to be forceful in his closed-door discussion with Netanyahu and urge him to accept a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, according to CNN.

White House National Security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Biden was using the meeting to reiterate his calls for a quick resolution between Israel and Hamas.

Netanyahu warned that “America is next” if the US doesn’t support Israel against the “axis of terror” led by Iran in the Middle East in his fiery speech before Congress.

“The gap is closable. But it’s going to require, as it always does, some leadership, some compromise,” Kirby said.

During his address, Netanyahu pushed back against the harsh international criticism his country has endured since the start of the war with Hamas.

The Israeli PM pledged to achieve “total victory” over Hamas and denounced American opponents of the war in Gaza as “Iran‘s useful idiots.”

“America and Israel must stand together,” Netanyahu fiercely argued.

“When we stand together, something really simple happens. We win, they lose.

“Our enemies are your enemies, and our fight is your fight. Our victory will be your victory.”

Dozens of Congress members chose to boycott Netanyahu’s visit to the US Capitol, including presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris

Harris skipped the Israeli leader’s speech to Congress and instead traveled to Texas for a campaign stop at a sorority.

GOP BLASTS HARRIS FOR SKIPPING PM'S SPEECH

Republican lawmakers were quick to call out Harris for missing Netanyahu’s speech.

“VPOTUS Harris’s snub of Netanyahu is petty and disrespectful,” Texas Senator John Cornyn wrote on X.

“She doesn’t have many jobs as the vice president. The vice president could be here today if she wanted to,” Alabama Senator Katie Britt said.

“She has chosen not to fulfil her duty.”

During a March speech, Harris called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

The Vice President also demanded that the Israeli government do more to supply aid to starving Gaza civilians.

“We have seen reports of families eating leaves and animal feed, children dying from malnutrition and dehydration. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” she added.

During his remarks to Congress, Netanyahu denied the claims from the International Criminal Court that Israeli leadership was withholding aid from reaching Gaza.

“The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has shamefully accused Israel of deliberately starving the people of Gaza. This is utter complete nonsense,” the Israeli PM said.

“If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren’t getting enough food, it’s not because Israel is blocking it. It’s because Hamas is stealing it.”