Harris called for anImmediate Cease-Fire in Gaza
Ms. Harris, the Vice President, and Benny Gantz: Israel’s Need for an Instant Perturbation of the Middle East Conflict
Ms. Harris’s remarks, delivered in Selma, Ala., bolstered a recent push by the Biden administration for an agreement and came a day before she was to meet with a top Israeli cabinet official involved in war planning, Benny Gantz. Her tone, sharper and more urgent than President Biden’s in recent days, showed the White House’s building frustration with Israel. The president called Israel’s response to the attack over the top.
Ms. Harris said that Gaza had become a “humanitarian catastrophe” and pressed Israel to allow for more aid into the area.
Ms. Harris said the United States supported Israel’s right to defend itself against the threat from Hamas and that it had no regard for innocent lives in Israel or in Gaza.
A six-week ceasefire is currently being negotiated that would allow for the release of Israeli hostages and open access to aid. President Biden has suggested that a deal could be in place soon. There is a framework that Israel has actually agreed to, but Hamas still needs to sign on, senior administration officials said on Saturday.
She added: “Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire.” The crowd had gathered to mark the civil rights event and applauded that line.
Ms. Harris was in Selma on Sunday for the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. The Middle East conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 30,000 Palestinians and put the enclave on the verge of famine.
The vice president said there were no excuses. “They must ensure humanitarian convoys are not targeted and restore basic services and order in Gaza so more food, water and fuel can reach those in need.”
Palestinians say Israeli soldiers fired on them when they tried to get food from an aid convoy in Gaza City on Thursday, with the shooting and surrounding chaos resulting in at least 115 deaths. The Israeli military on Sunday released a statement saying most of the civilians died in a stampede and that Israeli soldiers only “responded” to civilians approaching them.
“What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. There have been reports of families eating leaves, women giving birth to babies with little or no medical assistance, and children dying from their lack of nutrition. “Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”
Netanyahu, who is holding on to power with a narrow majority in the Knesset, spoke on Thursday of unity and dismissed the calls for early elections as a tactic of extremists.
Regular anti-government protests are being held by Israelis who are angry over the fact that he has not been able to free the remaining 134 hostages still being held in captivity.
There is continued protests against Netanyahu over the war in Gaza, and calls for early elections in the streets, and that is what Gantz’s visit to Washington is about.
Even before the war, there was a rift between Netanyahu and Gantz over a number of issues – from Israel’s military operations in Gaza to whether ultra-Orthodox men should be compelled into military service.
The Knesset member, Hili Tropper, wrote on Facebook that we have one prime minister for Israel, and anyone who can help for its success in the war must do so. For the benefit of the State of Israel, we must put the ego aside, put political calculations aside and concentrate on partnership.
Israeli media reports that Gantz’s visit to Washington was not pre-authorized by the prime minister’s office, and that Netanyahu has asked that the Israeli embassy decline to facilitate Gantz’s trip and to not allow any embassy staff to attend any of his meetings. There are reports of a heated telephone conversation in which Netanyahu reportedly told the other that he was the only prime minister in Israel.
Hamas, Red Crosses, and Refugees: Gaza, Egypt, and the Middle East in the Context of the Jordanian Air Force
The United States dropped over 38,000 meals into Gaza last Saturday, with the help of the Jordanian air force.
Adele Khodr, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at UNICEF, called for “entry points that would allow us to bring aid in from all possible crossings, including to northern Gaza; and security assurances and unimpeded passage to distribute aid, at scale, across Gaza, with no denials, delays and access impediments.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized Hamas demands as being “delusional” in previous negotiations.
At least 25% of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents are close to famine, according to the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The 10th child in Gaza to have died of hunger was recorded by the World Health Organization.
The city of Rafah is where over a million displaced Palestinians have been sheltered for the past few weeks. The Israeli military has been carrying out sporadic strikes there, including a strike on Saturday afternoon that killed 11 people and wounded at least 50 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Fourteen of the same family were killed in a strike in eastern Rafah on Saturday and as many as 10 other people were trapped under rubble.
If Hamas does not return the hostages by the start of the Muslim holy month of Islam, the fighting will spread to include the Rafah area.
The aim is for a cease-fire to be reached by the start of the Muslim month of Ramadan in order to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The source said that Hamas is trying to get temporary housing in Gaza until reconstruction is finished in the enclave which has been ravaged by the war. For Palestinians who have been displaced from the north of Gaza to be able to return, they also want a withdrawal of Israeli troops.
According to an Egyptian source close to the talks, a Hamas delegation will be in Cairo until Tuesday, meeting with mediators from Egypt and Qatar to broker a deal that would include a 6-week cease-fire as well as the exchange of dozens of Israeli hostages taken captive by Hamas for several hundred Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.
