Vice President Kamala Harris said in a meeting Saturday with Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that Washington will not allow for the
forced relocation of Palestinians or any redrawing of the current border
of the Gaza Strip.
“Under no circumstances will the United States permit the forced
relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the besiegement of
Gaza, or the redrawing of the borders of Gaza,” Harris said, according to
a statement from the vice president’s office.
The vice president, who is currently in the United Arab Emirates attending
the COP 28 summit in Dubai, has been on the front lines of US diplomatic
efforts, speaking with the leaders of Egypt, the UAE and Jordan amid the
climate summit.
Harris said Saturday that while the US supports Israel’s “legitimate
military objectives” in Gaza, the civilian suffering inside the enclave
has been too high. The vice president said that she spoke in depth with
several key leaders in the region about what expectations the US will have
with regard to post-conflict planning.
“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 at a press conference in Dubai. “It is truly
heartbreaking.”
Israel said its military campaign in Gaza is aimed at destroying Hamas,
the militant Islamist group responsible for the October 7 terror attack
that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead and saw another 240 taken hostage.
However, regional leaders like Jordan’s King Abdullah II have expressed
concerns that Israel could use the conflict to seize parts of Gaza or
expel its Palestinian residents.
It’s unclear what role Israel plans to play after the conflict ends. Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN in November that Israel’s security
role in a post-war Gaza would be an “over-riding, over-reaching military
envelope,” but did not explain what that meant.
During their meeting, Harris and Sisi discussed “ideas for post-conflict
planning in Gaza including efforts on reconstruction, security, and
governance,” the statement said.
“She (Harris) emphasized that these efforts can only succeed if they are
pursued in the context of a clear political horizon for the Palestinian
people towards a state of their own led by a revitalized Palestinian
Authority and have significant support from the international community
and the countries of the region.”
Harris also spoke with the Emir of Qatar after negotiations over resuming
a pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas appeared to break down on
Saturday, according to a White House official.
Harris has been on dozens of calls between President Joe Biden and the
Israeli prime minister since the war started as well as calls between
Biden and the Emir of Qatar and President of Egypt, according to the
official.
While Israel and Hamas continued to negotiate through mediators on Friday,
the Israeli prime minister’s office announced Saturday that they had
recalled their team of negotiators and that they had reached a “dead end”
in the talks.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/02/politics/harris-cop28-israel-
gaza/index.html