Harris says Sinwar’s death offers ‘opportunity’ to end Gaza war

Vice President Kamala Harris said the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar offered “an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza” and said the assassination would make Israel safer.

“It’s time for the next day to begin without Hamas in power,” Harris said Thursday after a campaign event with college students in Milwaukee.

The statement was a clear sign of the Democratic presidential candidate’s desire to capitalize on Sinwar’s death to help boost a ceasefire process that has repeatedly stalled in recent months.

Israel’s year-long war in response to last October’s Hamas attack, led by Sinwar, has become a flashpoint in the US presidential election. Although both Harris and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump have expressed support for Israel, the ongoing campaign in Gaza – and the rise in civilian deaths – has divided Democrats, with some calling on the administration to restrict or end arms sales. due to the humanitarian crisis.

“I will always work to create a future of peace, dignity and security for all,” said Harris.

His comments echoed a statement issued minutes earlier by President Joe Biden, who said he planned to speak soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to congratulate them, to discuss the path to bringing the hostages back to their families and to end with this war once.” and for everyone, what has caused so much devastation to innocent people.”

“There is now an opportunity for a day after in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Biden said. “Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all these goals. That obstacle no longer exists.”

But Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel’s “mission” in Gaza was not over and that the war was not over, suggesting that hostilities could continue.

Republicans took advantage of the bloodshed to argue that Trump would be better able to calm conflicts around the world – and anger Democrats because of divisions in their electoral coalition.

Harris was greeted Thursday on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus by pro-Palestinian protesters, and the press was not allowed to observe her interactions with students.

Democrats are particularly concerned that the issue could impact the race in states like Michigan and Minnesota with large Arab-American populations. More than 100,000 voters in Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary — and several hundred thousand more in other states — voted to send “uncommitted” delegates to the party’s nominating convention to protest the administration’s handling of the conflict. The movement unsuccessfully lobbied for a pro-Palestine speaker to be added to the meeting’s prime-time television schedule.

Earlier this month, Harris met with Muslim and Arab-American leaders in Michigan in another closed-door meeting as she sought to address concerns about U.S. support for Israel in the ongoing conflict.