Israel’s head of government is holding political talks with US President Biden and his Vice President Harris. The presidential candidate chooses particularly cautionary words – and is immediately met with criticism.
The USA has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly reach an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of the hostages. US Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris in particular addressed words of warning to Netanyahu with regard to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. “We cannot look away from these tragedies. We cannot afford to become insensitive to the suffering, and I will not remain silent,” said Harris after a meeting with Netanyahu. Her words were promptly met with criticism in the Israeli government.
The fact that Harris spoke of a serious humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the need to end the war had damaged the hostage negotiations, Israeli media quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying.
For Harris, the meeting with Netanyahu was the first important test in her role as the Democrats’ likely replacement candidate in the presidential election campaign. She wants to beat Republican Donald Trump in the US election on November 5th after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. Netanyahu plans to meet Trump today.
Harris and Biden put pressure on Netanyahu
Earlier, during his meeting with Netanyahu, Biden also pointed to the need to “close the remaining gaps, conclude the agreement as soon as possible, bring the hostages home and achieve a permanent end to the war in Gaza,” the White House said. According to a report, relatives of American-Israeli hostages gained new hope after a separate meeting with Biden and Netanyahu that a deal with the Islamist Hamas could soon be reached.
They are now “more optimistic than before,” the US news portal Axios quoted three sources who were present at the meeting. In the presence of Biden, Netanyahu assured the relatives that Israel would present an updated proposal for an agreement within a few days, it was said. The indirect negotiations, in which the USA, Qatar and Egypt are acting as mediators, are to continue in Doha next week.
Harris calls for humanitarian aid
In a speech on Wednesday before both chambers of the US Congress, Netanyahu did not announce an agreement, contrary to the hopes of relatives of the 115 hostages remaining in Gaza, and instead rejected any criticism of the actions in the Gaza Strip. Thanks to Biden’s leadership, an agreement is on the table, said Harris. There is “hopeful progress in the talks.”
Like Biden, Harris urged Netanyahu to increase humanitarian aid in Gaza and improve protection for civilians. “Israel has the right to defend itself, and it matters how it does that,” Harris said after her meeting with Israel’s head of government. She expressed her “grave concern about the level of human suffering in the Gaza Strip.” This includes the deaths of “too many innocent civilians,” she said.
Trump: With me as president, October 7 massacre would not have happened
Before Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu today, the Republican spoke on a program on the US broadcaster Fox News. With regard to the war in the Gaza Strip and Netanyahu’s visit to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, he said: “I want him to end it quickly.”
With him as US president, the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7 would not have happened, Trump claimed. “You know, October 7 would never have happened. If I had been president, there would have been no way. Iran would have been broke, there would have been no money for Hamas or Hezbollah. It just wouldn’t have happened – no chance,” said the 78-year-old. The massacre triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.
Praise for Trump in Netanyahu’s speech earlier
Netanyahu praised Trump in his speech to the US Congress on Wednesday. He spoke in detail about Trump’s achievements during his term as president from 2017 to 2021. He specifically highlighted the so-called Abraham Accords. In 2020, under Trump’s mediation, the Emirates and Bahrain were the first Gulf states to sign an agreement to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
“I also want to thank President Trump for all the things he has done for Israel,” Netanyahu continued in his speech, “from recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, opposing Iranian aggression to recognizing Jerusalem as our capital and moving the American embassy.”
Details of the meeting are not yet known. The former US president announced the invitation on his online platform Truth Social. Netanyahu had reportedly requested the meeting. Biden could view the meeting as an affront. Trump, who is in the heat of the election campaign, is always making headlines by receiving high-ranking state guests. Just recently, the Republican received Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban at his residence.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
