US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that while the United States supports Israel’s “legitimate military objectives” in Gaza, civilian suffering in the Strip is too high.
Harris, who met with several key leaders in the region on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, said she spoke with them in depth on Saturday about the expectations the United States will have regarding post-conflict planning.
“As Israel defends itself, it is important how it defends. The United States is unequivocally clear: international humanitarian law must be respected. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. “Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering, and the images and videos coming from Gaza, are devastating,” Harris said in a press conference during the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. “It’s really heartbreaking.”
She added: “While Israel continues to achieve its military goals in Gaza, we believe that Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians.”
Post-war vision for Gaza: Harris, who met with several key leaders in the region on the sidelines of her conference in Dubai, said she spoke with them in depth on Saturday about the expectations the United States will have regarding post-conflict planning.
Harris and US President Joe Biden are already in discussions with their national security team and partners in the region about what the future path for Gaza and the West Bank could look like, Harris told reporters.
She said that there are five principles that currently guide their approach: no forced displacement of the Palestinian people, no reoccupation of Gaza, no siege, no reduction of territory, and no use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism.
I have had a number of in-depth conversations with Arab leaders here in Dubai. “I specifically proposed three areas of focus,” Harris said, noting first the reconstruction of critical infrastructure in Gaza, then strengthening the PA’s security services, and finally, revitalizing the PA’s governance structure.
When this conflict ends, Hamas will no longer be able to control Gaza, and Israel must be safe. Palestinians need a hopeful political horizon, economic opportunity and freedom, and the wider region must be integrated and prosperous. “We must work to achieve this vision,” she said.
He remembers: The Palestinian Authority is a governmental body with limited autonomy in the West Bank. It was established in the 1993 Oslo Accords, a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization that saw the PLO abandon armed resistance against Israel in exchange for promises of an independent Palestinian state.
Hamas controls Gaza and presents itself as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority, which has recognized Israel and participated in several failed peace initiatives with it.
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