Vice President Harris spoke onstage on the final day of the Democratic National Convention on August 22, 2024.
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After much speculation, Vice President Harris, who is now the Democratic presidential nominee, made her strongest statement yet on her position on the Israel-Hamas war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“Let me be clear: I will always defend Israel’s right to self-defense and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself,” she said tonight. She said Israelis should never “again” experience the horror and “unspeakable” attacks of October 7.
“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months has been devastating. So many innocent lives have been lost. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” she said.
She and President Biden still call for the release of hostages, an end to the fighting in Gaza and a ceasefire agreement that “enables the Palestinian people to realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”
So far, Harris has not diverged much from Biden on her stance on Israel and Gaza since the war began, and the Biden administration has stood firmly on Israel’s side, continuing to provide military aid to the country despite ongoing pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country and at this year’s Democratic National Convention.
Harris previously met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which she said she had an “unwavering commitment to Israel” but would “not be silent” on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Posted by former President Donald TrumpDuring her speech, he posted on his Truth Social account: “She hates Israel. She won’t even show up to Congress for Netanyahu’s session!”
