US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday that the US would not create any conditions for the aid it gives to Israel.
Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of her visit to London, Harris was asked whether the US should condition aid to Israel to get them to prioritize civilian harm reduction.
“We are going to continue to stand with Israel’s right to defend itself. And let’s be clear and never forget what happened on October 7th, where hundreds, thousands of — 1,400 innocent people were killed, slaughtered — young people who were simply attending a concert,” Harris replied.
“And so, we are not going to create any conditions on the support that we are giving Israel to defend itself,” she added.
Harris also said that she had spoken with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about “our shared priority around standing for the right of Israel to defend itself after the terrorist attack by Hamas.”
"We have talked and I have reiterated that we believe absolutely that Israel has a right to defend itself. We also believe very strongly in the importance of the rules of law, which include the importance of no intentional attacks on civilians and the importance of satisfying the need for humanitarian aid,” said the Vice President.
She also noted “the importance [of an] increase in the flow of aid to that region and particularly to Gaza.”
“I will also say that we have, of course, thanks to the President’s leadership, secured safe passage for American citizens out of Gaza, and a significant number have crossed today. But we still have more work to do. And it is critically important to us that American citizens are able to have safe and quick passage. And we will work to make that happen as soon as possible,” added Harris.
Her comments come ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel, which is scheduled to begin on Friday.
The State Department on Wednesday said that “Blinken will reiterate US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism consistent with international humanitarian law and discuss efforts to safeguard US citizens in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, work to secure the immediate release of hostages, increase the pace and volume of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza for distribution to Palestinian civilians, and prevent the conflict from spreading.”
Also on Wednesday, President Joe Biden called for a “pause” in the fighting in the Gaza Strip in order to allow time to free hostages being held by Hamas, though he stopped short of calling for a full ceasefire.
