BIRMINGHAM — Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate yet impermanent ceasefire in Gaza, placed the onus on Hamas for holding it up, and placed the onus on Israel for a shortfall in humanitarian aid entering the enclave.
Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, left, with US Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House, March 4, 2024. (TPS via White House)
In her speech, at a civil rights event on Sunday, March 3, in Birmingham, Ala., Harris did not refer to a permanent ceasefire, which progressive activists have advocated for months.
Rather, she was voicing support for the current Israeli-backed proposal, via negotiations, for a six-week truce.
Harris placed the onus on Hamas to accept the terms of the deal, which would see the release of some of the Israeli hostages it is holding.
“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said.
“Hamas claims it wants a ceasefire. Well, there is a deal on the table. And as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal.”
Harris’ use of the term “immediate ceasefire” marked a shift of sorts in the Biden administration’s language.
Last week, President Joe Biden spoke of a “temporary ceasefire,” and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the New Yorker, “We still don’t support a general ceasefire that would leave Hamas in charge. What we do support is a temporary ceasefire, to get these hostages out and get the aid in.”
The administration has staunchly supported Israel war’s to defend itself.
Hamas began the war on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 and taking more than 250 hostages.
Recently, the Biden administration has said that Israel’s conduct in Gaza was “over the top” and has pressed Israel to allow in more humanitarian aid.
Increasing US disapproval of Israel is also evident in polling. Gallup reported on Monday that Israel’s favorability among Americans had dropped from 68% a year ago to 58% today, which the polling agency called “the lowest favorable rating for Israel in over two decades.”
The phone poll of more than 1,000 adults, taken in February, has a margin of error of 4%.
Harris’ speech — at an event in Birmingham marking the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge violently repressed peaceful civil rights marchers — came following a campaign in Michigan last week to protest Biden’s Israel policy.
The campaign got 100,000 voters to vote “uncommitted” in the Michigan Democratic presidential primary.
The vice president devoted half of her remarks to the war and demanded that Israel “do more to significantly increase the flow of aid” to Gaza.
Calls for aid increased last week after dozens died in a rush on an Israeli aid convoy.
Israel said its troops fired warning shots and that the deaths were due to a stampede.
Hamas blamed Israeli gunfire.
Top US officials have until now blamed multiple factors for the failure to deliver aid, citing the chaos of war, Hamas’ theft of the aid and ineffective international agencies, as well as Israeli reluctance to fully open crossings.
“No excuses,” Harris said. “They must open new border crossings. They must not impose any unnecessary restrictions on the delivery of aid. They must ensure humanitarian personnel, sites, and convoys are not targeted. And they must work to restore basic services and promote order in Gaza so more food, water and fuel can reach those in need.”
Harris’ tone and the setting — the nation’s first black vice president speaking against the background of Civil Rights iconography — may have conveyed that Israel was losing a bloc of the Democratic Party.
The crowd whooped and cheered when Harris said Israel must do more to deliver aid, and when she used the word “ceasefire.”
Harris met on March 4 with Benny Gantz, Israel’s opposition leader who is part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet.
He is outpolling Netanyahu by far in opinion surveys.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu was furious with Gantz for taking the trip and has instructed the Israeli Embassy in Washington not to assist Gantz.
Gantz, a former Israeli military chief and defense minister, was also expected to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Gantz’s first meeting Sunday was with the board of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby.
“I conveyed to the board my profound appreciation for their important work, particularly since October 7th, in strengthening the alliance between Israel and the US and combating distressing levels of anti-Semitism across America,” Gantz wrote on X.
Against the backdrop of the meeting, a Defense Dept. official said on Tuesday, March 5, that the US is mulling the establishment of a maritime corridor to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“In coordination with the U.S. interagency and international partners, we are actively reviewing options for a maritime corridor for humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including potential commercial and contracted options” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a briefing.
The endeavor, Ryder said, would require ensuring a secure and safe route through the Mediterranean. The US would play a supporting role rather than have US forces go ashore.
“At this point in time, there are no plans to send any US forces into Gaza,” Ryder said.
Israel disputed assertions from Biden administration officials that the amount of aid reaching the Strip is insufficient.
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit within the Israeli Defense Ministry tweeted on Wednesday, “Over the last 2 weeks, an average of 102 food trucks entered Gaza daily. This is 46% more food trucks entering Gaza on a daily basis, compared to before October 7th.”
The tweet added, “There is no limit to the amount of humanitarian aid that can enter Gaza.”
COGAT coordinates civilian issues in the West Bank and Gaza between the Israeli government, military, international organizations and the Palestinian Authority.