Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the press following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House complex.
Harris began by sharing a personal anecdote from her childhood, recalling how she planted trees to support Israel’s “right to defend itself.” She emphasized the complexity of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, urging Americans to understand that it is not a binary issue. “Let us all condemn terrorism and violence,” she stated. “And let us condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate of any kind.”
Reflecting on her recent discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Harris said, “I just had a frank and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I told him that I will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, including from Iran and Iran-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah.”
“I’ve had an unwavering commitment to the existence of the State of Israel, to its security, and to the people of Israel,” she said.
I think that’s a really bad take. I think most anti-genocide Dems are not against Israel, its people, or its right to defend itself when attacked. I think they are against indiscriminate and deliberate murder, and believe the current operations are a massive overreaction to the Hamas attack. I think they support the right of both peoples to peacefully coexist, which includes improving the human rights situation of the Palestinians even in peace time.
Maybe I’m the one out of touch, but I don’t think so.
You are very much out of touch. Israel just voted to never recognize a Palestinian state.
Peace has always been made impossible by israel. Not by Palestinians.
Israel’s current hard right government voted for that. Other governments have been pro two-state.
And what’s your desired position here? Israel voted to not accept peace so we should… eliminate Israel? That’s the only conclusion where “Israel has a right to exist” is problematic.
Palestinians really helped make peace possible last October. What is your age?
“Palestinians” didn’t, Hamas did. Many Palestinians hate Hamas, because they are violent and corrupt and in general dangerous to the Palestinian people.
Israel helps prop up Hamas, instead of more realistic “partners for peace,” for exactly that reason. 😕
Also, OP is getting started early on presenting only one side of Harris’s press conference instead of the more notably unusual for a US politician side. Does that mean she’ll break with US policy once she’s in office? Maybe not, but it’s clearly misinformation to report the one half of it without the other.
You mean like the PA? Confidently saying lies doesn’t make it true.
This argument is pointless.
Fatah is not considered a terrorist organization by any government. Israel facilitated aid to Hamas. Israeli politicians have sometimes been caught saying explicitly that they like Hamas as an adversary because their violent behavior delegitimizes Palestine on the world stage (leaving unsaid the key corollary “… and that’s more important to me than protecting innocent Israelis from atrocities, let alone Palestinians.”)
That’s the facts, Jack. You can disagree with them if for some reason you want to, but they will remain.
Oh wow you’re now justifying israel committing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank because Hamas exists in Gaza. Way to show your hand.
The oppressed do not owe the oppressors civility or safety. Israel is an apartheid colonial state and the people they’ve been oppressing for 70 years have every right to take up arms.
That’s a great argument for Israel to continue to flatten Gaza. Your reasoning will only fan the flames of conflict.
That’s what they plan to do regardless. They are intent on genocide and have been for a long time. It’s incredible that you’re trying to paint Israel as the victim. It’s incredible, but not surprising.
I don’t really care about this as much as you do. Maybe an asteroid will land in the middle east so it becomes uninhabitable for hundreds of years.
You cared a lot when you were blaming Palestinians for being victims of israeli Apartheid two comments ago.
I blame Palestinians for allowing Hamas to come to power and rule by terror. What do you think is going to happen if they are recognized as a nation state? You’d probably have the same situation you have now. The only people doing anything about Hamas is Israel. If Palestinians took care of their own problems (something thats necessary as a sovereign nation) none of this would have happened. Arafat should have taken the deal that was offered to him in 2000.
And the 75 years before that the israelis just didn’t manage to get to it right. It was at the top of their agenda.
Oh wait Abraham accords.