Speaking to reporters after what she called a “frank and constructive” meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, Harris said it was time to end the “devastating” war sparked by the Hamas terror group’s brutal October 7 attack on Israel, in comments that some saw as a sign of a possible shift in Washington’s stance as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president takes center stage.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” Harris told reporters. “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.”
Netanyahu, who has been in Washington since Monday, met separately with US President Joe Biden and with Harris in the White House on Thursday. He was also slated to meet the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump on Friday.
In a speech to the US Congress on Wednesday, the premier once again stressed the need for a “total victory” over Hamas. The premier’s speech disappointed hostage relatives who hoped he would commit to a ceasefire-for-hostages deal, talks for which have been said to be in the home stretch. Some families of American-Israeli hostages who met with Biden and Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday expressed hope and optimism about a potential deal.
In her press conference after the Netanyahu meeting, Harris also said “Israel has a right to defend itself. And how it does so matters.” READ MORE