Politics Harris with clear commitment to Israel and warning

Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris has spoken out clearly in favor of Israel following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

At the same time, the Democrat called on the Israeli leadership to do more to protect the suffering population in the Gaza Strip. "Israel has the right to defend itself and it is important how it does so," said the 59-year-old.

In the conversation with Netanyahu, she expressed her "serious concern about the extent of human suffering in the Gaza Strip". This includes the deaths of "too many innocent civilians" and the catastrophic humanitarian situation. "We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb in the face of suffering, and I will not remain silent."

Harris called on people in the USA to keep the complexity of the conflict and the history of the region in mind. Terrorism and violence must be condemned, she said. "Let us all do what we can to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians. And let us condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and hatred of any kind."

Thanks to the leadership of US President Joe Biden, an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of the hostages is on the table, Harris continued. There is "hopeful progress in the talks", she said, "and as I have just told Prime Minister Netanyahu: It's time to get this agreement done."

Netanyahu had previously met with Biden. On Friday, Netanyahu plans to meet the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, in Florida. As its most important ally, the USA has been urging Israel for months to increase humanitarian aid in Gaza and improve the protection of the civilian population. Netanyahu rejects any criticism of his country's military action in the Gaza Strip.

SDA