• Israeli PM asked to end ‘devastating’ war, seal peace deal
• Obamas endorse vice president’s bid for the White House

WASHINGTON: Kamala Harris signaled a major shift on US Gaza policy on Thursday, with the presidential hopeful telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seal a peace deal and insisting she would not be “silent” on the suffering in the Palestinian enclave.

Ripping up outgoing President Joe Biden’s playbook of mostly behind-the-scenes pressure on Israel, the vice president said after meeting Netanyahu that it was time to end the “devastating” war.

“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.”

The 59-year-old said she “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.”

Biden, held Oval Office talks with Netanyahu and called on him to swiftly “finalise” a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, and “reach a durable end to the war in Gaza,” according to a White House readout of the meeting.

‘Get this deal done’

Harris also called for the establishment of a Palestinian state and, similar to Biden, urged both Netanyahu and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and prisoner release deal to end the war. “As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done.”

The White House meetings come a day after the Israeli premier gave a fiery speech to the US Congress in which he vowed “total victory” against Hamas.

Biden and Netanyahu later met the families of US prisoners held in Gaza, who said they hoped for a possible new ceasefire proposal in coming days.

Obama endorsement

Former US president Barack Obama endorsed his fellow Democrat Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House on Friday, delivering a major boost to her campaign to beat Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.

“Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support,” Obama said on social media platform X.

“At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in November. We hope you’ll join us.”

The Obamas’ backing will add to the growing momentum behind Harris’ campaign, which has enjoyed a groundswell of support since she announced her 11th-hour candidacy.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024