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Harris: ‘I will not be silent about Palestinian suffering’

Kamala Harris told reporters, “What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

An Israeli official expressed concern that remarks made by Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris following her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have jeopardized the hostage release deal negotiations.

Although US President Joe Biden has commented on the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the Israeli official felt that Harris laid more emphasis on the “humanitarian crisis” than Biden has, and this may signal distance between Israel and the US, which may influence Hamas to dig in its heels.

In addition, the official felt that Harris was focusing on the deal as a way to end the war rather than placing the primary emphasis on an agreement that will secure the release of hostages while leaving the option open to Israel to resume military operations.

“Hopefully the remarks Harris made in her press conference won’t be interpreted by Hamas as daylight between the US and Israel, thereby making a deal harder to secure,” the senior official said.

“The more the gap widens between our countries, the more we move away from a deal and thus also increase the possibility of a regional escalation,” said the senior official.

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After meeting with Netanyahu, Harris told reporters, “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.”

“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 Israeli official asked, “Is the harm to Palestinian civilians really the problem right now? What is Hamas supposed to think when it hears this?”

They added, “I hope it won’t lead to regression in the talks because we’ve made a lot of progress.”

Despite the Israeli official’s disappointment with Harris’s public remarks, they speculated that ties with the White House won’t deteriorate as she takes a larger role.

“We are on a path of cooperation and closing gaps…. but that is why Harris’s press conference was so problematic,” said the official.