Not sympathy, but stop to war: critics on Kamala Harris's statement

Washington: Following the visit by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States Congress, Vice President- and Democrats' likely nominee for the presidency- Kamala Harris narrated the sufferings of Palestinians in Gaza. However, she promised her support for Israel, Al Jazeera reported.

According to activists, Harris expressing sympathy for Palestinians but not making a meaningful shift away from the US's policy of unconditional military and diplomatic support to Israel will not win back the pro-Palestine voters' support. They say that the Democratic party lost those votes due to President Joe Biden's approach to the war.

Eman Abdelhadi, a sociologist at the University of Chicago, said that without an actual commitment to stop killing the children in Gaza, she doesn't care about Harris's empathy for Palestinians. Abdelhadi added that the US bears responsibility for the atrocities committed against Palestinians.

"To be empathetic to someone that you're shooting in the head is not exactly laudable," Al Jazeera quoted Abdelhadi. She said that Palestinians do not need empathy from the US but a stoppage of providing weapons and money.

"..the money that is actively killing the people that they're supposedly empathising with," she said.

When Kamala Harris' statements were characterised as moving away from Biden's rhetoric, critics said that Harris had yet to announce new policy positions.

On Thursday, after holding talks with Netanyahu, Harris expressed her unwavering commitment to Israel and said that the country can defend itself. Then she added how Israel itself matters and narrated the atrocities Palestinians are going on in Gaza.