After the United Kingdom Some arms shipments were stopped After visiting Israel on Monday, it is not entirely clear whether Vice President Kamala Harris will follow the same path.
The Democratic presidential nominee is under heavy pressure from progressives to take a tough stance against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the war with Hamas has been raging for nearly a year.
Harris insists she is committed to defending Israel. But as the prospect of a peace deal over the war in Gaza grows dim, Harris declined to answer a question about whether the United States could use its soft power to halt arms supplies to a top ally in the Middle East in order to force a policy change under her leadership.
Last week, Harris was asked if she would do anything differently than President Joe Biden regarding the war in Israel and Gaza. She answered in the negative, but quickly came around to the need for a peace deal.
The Harris campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on whether it would consider halting gun deliveries if Harris were to enter the White House.
Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, addresses a campaign rally at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia on August 29, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
CNN’s Dana Bash asked the vice president on Thursday, “President Biden has tried unsuccessfully to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He’s been doing that for many months, working with you. Would you do anything differently? For example, would you stop some US weapons shipments to Israel?”
“I want to be very clear. I remain absolutely firm in my commitment to Israel’s security and its ability to defend itself,” she said, then detailed Hamas’ attacks on October 7 that “killed many Palestinian civilians.”
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Nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict since October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
“We have to make a deal. This war has to end,” he added. “Let’s get the hostages out. Let’s have a ceasefire.”
“But there has been no change in policy regarding weapons and such?” Bash reiterated.
“No. We have to make a deal. Dana, we have to make a deal. When you look at the significance of this for the families, for the people who live in that area – the deal is not only the right thing to do to end this war, but it opens up so much more for what should happen next.”
Protesters took to the streets across Israel over the weekend demanding a deal for the return of the hostages. (/Tomer Applebaum/Reuters)
“I have been committed since October 8 that we must work toward a two-state solution, where Israel is secure and Palestinians have equal rights to security and self-determination — and dignity.”
Last week, Israel said the US had sent more than 50,000 tonnes of weapons and military equipment since the war broke out in October. Congress passed a bill in April that included $26 billion in weapons aid for Israel and aid for Gaza.
The United Kingdom on Monday blocked the export of dozens of weapons to Israel over concerns they could be used to violate international law.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy The decision relates to about 30 out of 350 export licences, including parts for military aircraft and drones and items used for ground targeting, it told lawmakers on Monday.
Lammy said the British government believed the equipment was “intended for use in the current conflict in Gaza” and that there was a “clear risk” that some of it “could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
At home, Netanyahu is facing criticism from all sides, since it was revealed that the bodies of six Israeli hostages were found in a Hamas tunnel. Protesters took to the streets Demonstrations demanding a hostage settlement took place over the weekend. Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, whose parents made an emotional appeal for a hostage settlement at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last month, was among the dead.
President Joe Biden responded “no” when asked over the weekend if Netanyahu was doing enough to secure the hostages.
Over the weekend, as news of the additional deaths broke, Biden and Harris were working on a hostage agreement with their negotiating team.
The president said he was “very close” to reaching a hostage deal that all sides could agree on, though such a deal has been stuck between negotiators for months. “There is always hope,” he added.
