On Sunday, March 3, Vice President Kamala Harris gave a speech on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday when marchers to secure voting rights were beaten by law enforcement officers. But first she said:
Before I begin today, I must address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed, women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration.
As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. And just a few days ago, we saw hungry, desperate people approach aid trucks, simply trying to secure food for their families after weeks of nearly no aid reaching Northern Gaza. And they were met with gunfire and chaos.
Our hearts break for the victims of that horrific tragedy and for all the innocent people in Gaza who are suffering from what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe.
People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.
The Vice President then spoke about what the Biden Administration is committed to doing:
As President Joe Biden said on Friday, the United States is committed to urgently get more lifesaving assistance to innocent Palestinians in need.
Yesterday, the Department of Defense carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian assistance, and the United States will continue these airdrops. And we will work on a new route by sea to deliver aid.
The Vice President spoke forcefully of what Israel “must do”:
The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses. 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.
The Vice President, after discussing Hamas and Israel’s security, called for ”an immediate ceasefire.”
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.
This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in. This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is more secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.
In conclusion she 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.”
Let’s get a ceasefire. Let’s reunite the hostages with their families. And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza. www.whitehouse.gov/…
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The speech is reviewed at length here:
An official in Harris’ office said she decided she wanted to talk about Gaza in her speech in Selma after Biden said Friday that the administration would back an immediate six-week cease-fire as part of a hostage deal.
“We’re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said in the Oval Office. “The hostages being returned and an immediate cease-fire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks. And to allow the surge of aid through the entire Gaza Strip, not just the south, but the entire Gaza Strip.” www.nbcnews.com/...