Vice President Kamala Harris called for an “immediate cease-fire” to last at least six weeks in Gaza while speaking in Selma, Alabama, Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of Bloody Sunday—pushing harder than other White House officials to demand a pause in fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.
Harris appears to be the highest-ranking Biden Administration official to push this forcefully for a ... [+]
Harris said that given “the immense scale of suffering in Gaza” there should be a cease-fire that would last for at least the next six weeks, “which is what is currently on the table,” in the ongoing negotiations.
She also was overtly critical of Israel, saying it needed “do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses.”
The pause in fighting will allow the hostages to get out, Harris said—seemingly referring to the hostages Hamas took when the fighting started Oct. 7— and for “a significant amount of aid” to get in.
“This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self determination,” Harris said Sunday.
Harris was in Selma to mark the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, a day when Alabama law enforcement attacked and beat civil rights demonstrators who were protesting on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The events of Bloody Sunday helped garner support for the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law in 1965.