Politics

Kamala Says She ‘Will Not Be Silent’ on ‘Suffering’ in Gaza

‘I SEE YOU’

The vice president acknowledged that Israel “has the right to defend itself,” but said she had “serious concerns” about the mounting crisis the state is inflicting on Gaza.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris
Kenny Holston/The New York Times via Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that she has “serious concerns” about the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “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,” she said. The vice president, the likely Democratic presidential nominee following President Joe Biden’s exit from the race over the weekend, made the remarks immediately following what she said was a “frank”meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Harris, whose husband is Jewish, told reporters she pressed the foreign leader to close on the terms of the ceasefire deal that Biden laid out in May. “So to everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire and to everyone who yearns for peace,” she said, “I see you and I hear you. Let's get the deal done.” Acknowledging that while Israel has the “right to defend itself,” Harris said, “Let us all do what we can to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians.”

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