 "Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a rally at the Dort Financial Center on October 04, 2024 in Flint, Michigan. Photo- AFP")
Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Washington will continue to pressure Israel and other players in the Middle East to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza even as advocates say that the United States has not thus far used its leverage over its ally.
In an interview with CBS news show ”60 Minutes,” Harris said that diplomatic work with Israel is ”an ongoing pursuit,” according to a clip released on Sunday.
Harris sidestepped a question in the interview on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a ”real close ally.”
”I think with all due respect the better question is do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people and the answer to that question is yes,” Harris said.
Harris reiterated Washington’s position to support Israel’s right to self defence against Iran and Iran-backed militant groups like Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.
”Now the work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles,” Harris said.
”We’re not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region including Arab leaders,” Harris said.
Washington’s occasional condemnation of Israel over the war’s civilian death toll has mostly been verbal with no substantive change in policy.
Thousands of people across the world participated in pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests and memorial events on Sunday a day ahead of the October 7 Hamas attack anniversary.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSunday’s events follow massive rallies that took place Saturday in several European cities, including London, Berlin, Paris and Rome. Other events are scheduled through the week, with an expected peak on Monday, the date of the anniversary.
With inputs from agencies.