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Harris: ‘Now is the time’ to get Gaza ceasefire deal done
Kamala Harris has spoken about Gaza in her acceptance speech as the Democratic nominee for president.
She told the crowd she and President Biden were “working around the clock” to end the Israeli military invasion and said it was time for a ceasefire.
“Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done,” she said.
Harris stressed that she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself”, adding that “the people of Israel must never again face the horror” of the October 7 attack by Hamas.
“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” she said.
“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”
Protesters outside DNC demand end to US weapons supply to Israel
As we’ve reported, Kamala Harris has accepted the Democratic nomination for the presidency. She took to the stage on the last day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
But little space has been afforded to Palestinian Americans or pro-Palestinian delegates in this week’s convention, despite crowds of protesters gathering nearby on a daily basis.
Among them is Muhamad Sankari of the US Palestinian Community Network. He says people are turning out, “first and foremost to end the genocide against the Palestinian people [by] the Democratic Party”.
“For 11 months now almost, [the Democratic Party] has supported [Israel’s war] unequivocally. So we’re here to make the demands to end the genocide against the Palestinian people,” he said.
“This is because of you, Kamala Harris, this is because of you, [US President] Joe Biden, because of your policies. And whoever the president is, whoever’s in charge of the Democratic Party, could end that right now by ending the flow of weapons, by ending the political cover, and demanding the Israelis end the genocide,” he added.
US administration’s Gaza mediation is a facade
Tamer Qarmout, an assistant professor in public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, argues the US administration’s mediation in the Gaza war is more about optics than a sincere push for peace.
“From the onset of the war, the diplomatic behaviour of the Americans has not been what you would expect from a mediator,” said Qarmout, pointing to Washington’s continued supply of weapons to Israel. “The US has sadly chosen to be partner to Israel during this war.”
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Qarmout claimed the administration of US President Joe Biden is simply “pretending” to engage in high-stakes diplomacy to end the war so it has a “ready answer” for pro-Palestine voters who are disillusioned with the Democratic Party ahead of November elections.
“In reality, [the administration] is just siding with Israel,” Qarmout said. “I think the behaviour of the US administration shows they’re committed to helping Netanyahu achieve the victory he is looking for”.
