By Shahrokh Saei
TEHRAN- Comments made by US Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago about Israel’s war on Gaza showed that Washington’s claims of being a mediator in ceasefire talks between the Tel Aviv regime and Hamas ring hollow.
Harris echoed America’s decades-long pro-Israel bias and threw her full weight behind the bogus entity.
"Let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself,” Harris said in a speech at the convention as she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.
The army of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has butchered about 40,300 Palestinians since launching war on Gaza on October 7.
American media have acknowledged that many Gazans have been killed by the weapons that the US has provided to Israel.
Hence, Harris’ statements about siding with Israel to “defend itself” mean giving a green light to the Netanyahu regime to massacre more Palestinians in Gaza. Besides, they amount to contributing to or even enabling acts of genocide perpetrated by the Israeli army in Gaza.
Mediation or misdirection?
The US, along with Qatar and Egypt, has been mediating negotiations between Hamas and Israel with the aim of ending the Gaza war.
But, Harris’ stance against one of the warring sides has raised questions about Washington’s role as a mediator.
“The people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on Oct. 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival," Harris said in her speech.
Harris calls Hamas a “terrorist organization” while the resistance group won a huge majority in parliamentary elections in Gaza in 2006.
Hamas rose to power in a democratic manner but the nominee for the Democratic Party tries to demonize the group because it does not toe the US line.
Harris, who replaced President Joe Biden as the party's nominee, is also playing a blame game when she accuses Hamas of committing sexual violence and killing Israelis during the October 7 attack.
The Netanyahu regime is under fire over its brutalities against Palestinians who are in Israeli jails.
Numerous reports have shed light on the systematic abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli authorities, with disturbing accounts of torture and inhumane conditions. Israel is accused of killing and raping inmates.
The Israeli army has also massacred civilians in residential buildings and those who have taken shelter in hospitals and schools.
But the US has remained silent in the face of such atrocities.
Flight of fantasy
During her speech at the convention, Harris tried to launch a charm offensive with Palestinians.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking," she said, adding that the White House is working to end the war in Gaza.
Harris claims that the US wants to end the war but it continues weapons transfers to Israel. So, her comments look like a flight of fantasy.
The behavior of US administration officials indicates that they are committed to helping Netanyahu achieve his war aims in Gaza, but to no avail. Israeli military officials have admitted that Netanyahu’s main goal of “total victory” over Hamas will remain elusive.
Hence, Washington’s aim of brokering a ceasefire in Gaza and Harris’ crocodile tears about the loss of civilian lives in Gaza are just a tactical ploy to appease pro-Palestine voters who are disillusioned with the Democratic Party ahead of the November presidential election.
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