Remarks by Vice President Harris Following Meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel

Vice President’s Ceremonial Office
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

6:20 P.M. EDT

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Good afternoon, everybody.

     Q    Good afternoon.

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  So, I just had a frank and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu.  I told him that I will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, including from Iran and Iran-backed militias, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

     From when I was a young girl collecting funds to plant trees for Israel to my time in the United States Senate and now at the White House, I’ve had an unwavering commitment to the existence of the state of Israel, to its security, and to the people of Israel.

     I’ve said it many times, but it bears repeating: Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters.

     Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization.  On October 7, Hamas triggered this war when it massacred 1,200 innocent people, including 44 Americans.  Hamas has committed horrific acts of sexual violence and took 250 hostages.

     There are American citizens who remain captive in Gaza: Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Edan Alexander, Keith Siegel, Omer Neutra.  And the remains of American citizens Judy Weinstein, Gad Haggai, and Itay Chen are still being held in Gaza.

     I have met with the families of these American hostages multiple times now.  And I’ve told them each time, they are not alone and I stand with them.  And President Biden and I are working every day to bring them home.

     I also expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians.  And I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there, with over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity and half a million people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.

     What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating — the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third, or fourth time.  We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies.  We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering.  And I will not be silent.

     Thanks to the leadership of our president, Joe Biden, there is a deal on the table for a ceasefire and a hostage deal.  And it is important that we recall what the deal involves.

     The first phase of the deal would bring about a full ceasefire, including a withdrawal of the Israeli military from population centers in Gaza.  In the second phase, the Israeli military would withdraw from Gaza entirely, and it would lead to a permanent end to the hostilities.

     It is time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity, and self-determination.

     There has been hopeful movement in the talks to secure an agreement on this deal.  And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done.

     So, to everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you.

     Let’s get the deal done so we can get a ceasefire to end the war.  Let’s bring the hostages home.  And let’s provide much-needed relief to the Palestinian people.

     And ultimately, I remain committed to a path forward that can lead to a two-state solution.  And I know right now it is hard to conceive of that prospect, but a two-state solution is the only path that ensures Israel remains a secure, Jewish, and democratic state and one that ensures Palestinians can finally realize the freedom, security, and prosperity that they rightly deserve.

     And I will close with this, then.  It is important for the American people to remember the war in Gaza is not a binary issue.  However, too often the conversation is binary, when the reality is anything but.

     So, I ask my fellow Americans to help encourage efforts to acknowledge the complexity, the nuance, and the history of the region.

     Let us all condemn terrorism and violence.  Let us all do what we can to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians.  And let us condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate of any kind.  And let us work to unite our country.

     I thank you.

END                 6:26 P.M. EDT

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