An open letter to VP Kamala Harris on the occasion of her ceasefire speech

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Edmund Pettus Bridge during an event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Alabama (photo)

Vice President Kamala Harris needs some feedback on what has been referred to as the United States’ “sharp rebuke” of Israel. Happy to oblige.

by Kathryn Shihadah

(View VP Harris’ full Bloody Sunday anniversary speech here.)

VP HARRIS: What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed, women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration.

This is absolutely true. The people in northern Gaza have been almost entirely without food or water since January.

VP HARRIS: As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.

This is absolutely true. The Biden administration has been saying this for months. Some anonymous, murderous Entity has been killing these innocent Palestinians and ignoring the complaints of the most powerful country in the world.

VP HARRIS: And just a few days ago, we saw hungry, desperate people approach aid trucks, simply trying to secure food for their families after weeks of nearly no aid reaching Northern Gaza. And they were met with gunfire and chaos.

This is absolutely true. The anonymous Entity that has been starving these people, and then shooting them as they simply tried to get some food for their families – this Entity is cruel, heartless, and awful.

Palestinians walk amid the rubble of houses destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza City on Sunday (photo)

VP HARRIS: Our hearts break for the victims of that horrific tragedy and for all the innocent people in Gaza who are suffering from what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe. (Applause.)

Yes, and yes. It absolutely was a horrific tragedy, and absolutely is a humanitarian catastrophe. The anonymous Entity that perpetrated the famine and then shot the starving people should be held accountable – don’t you think, Vice President Harris?

VP HARRIS: People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.

They absolutely are starving, their conditions absolutely are inhumane. Wait – did you say “common humanity”? Does this mean the Biden administration now considers the people of Gaza to be human beings? That is refreshing.

And now that you’ve pronounced them human, and their conditions not fit for humans, what actions are you compelled to take? Will you perhaps cancel the next shipment of weapons to the anonymous Entity?

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris must take a stand for human rights, not staunchly support Israel in all it does. (photo)

VP HARRIS: As President Joe Biden said on Friday, the United States is committed to urgently get more lifesaving assistance to innocent Palestinians in need.

President Biden has been committed for months to imploring the Entity to make more lifesaving assistance available to the people of Gaza. For months, it has not happened. The United States has begged, deferred, made excuses, twiddled its thumbs, shrugged its shoulders, and scratched its head for almost five months.

VP HARRIS: Yesterday, the Department of Defense carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian assistance, and the United States will continue these airdrops. And we will work on a new route by sea to deliver aid.

The Entity has deigned to allow the US to fly over Gaza and air drop a few thousand meals (perhaps 6 truckloads) on a region that needs millions of meals and thousands of truckloads of supplies and water and medicine.

This drop in the bucket is an embarrassment to the United States and to the dignity of the people of Gaza. There are at this very moment massive quantities of aid, plus warehouses full of critical items, sitting just outside the border. Though the Entity could have allowed everything into Gaza, it has refused to do so. Though the Biden administration could have demanded it, you have merely suggested it. Each day that the Entity has subjected Gaza to starvation (as well as bombardment), you have given that Entity $10 million in military aid. You could have withheld that aid, but you did not.

(At last, the Vice President reveals who this mystery country is – and gives it a piece of her mind:)

VP HARRIS: The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. (Applause.) No excuses. They must open new border crossings. They must not impose any unnecessary restrictions on the delivery of aid. They must ensure humanitarian personnel, sites, and convoys are not targeted. And they must work to restore basic services and promote order in Gaza so more food, water, and fuel can reach those in need.

This sounds an awful lot like what the Biden administration has been saying, to no avail, for months. Maybe the phrase “no excuses” will do the trick?

Madam Vice President, a word of advice: no matter how stern your tone, these are not demands. They are merely suggestions – unless you add robust and credible consequences for Israel’s failure to carry them out.

UNRWA: There is no limit to the scale of humanitarian needs for people in Gaza. Food production has come to a halt. Famine is looming. (photo)

VP HARRIS: As I have said repeatedly since October 7th, Israel has a right to defend itself. And President Joe Biden and I are unwavering in our commitment to Israel’s security. Hamas cannot control Gaza, and the threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that has vowed to repeat October 7th again and again until Israel is annihilated.

With all due respect, you must know that if Israel kills every member of Hamas, the spirit of resistance will live on – until the Palestinians have justice and self-determination. You must know that Hamas is not the real problem here, and October 7th was not the beginning of this conflict.

Also, with all due respect, you must know that Israel, as one of the world’s top military powers – with a superpower ally – can not be annihilated. But it can destroy its Palestinian neighbors unless another Entity – the US – steps in to end the genocide. This, of course, would require your administration to stop being in denial and acknowledge the plain fact that Israel is indeed committing genocide, and then do something decisive to end it.

Once the bloodletting has stopped, the Biden administration must take real steps to bring justice to the region. That is how to ensure there will not be another October 7th. As you know: resistance against occupation is protected under international law – including armed resistance.

VP HARRIS: Hamas has shown no regard for innocent life, including for the people of Gaza, who have suffered under its rule for almost two decades. And Hamas still holds dozens of hostages, for nearly 150 days now – innocent men and women, including American citizens, who were brutally taken from their homes and from a concert.

Madam VP, Hamas has been caring for its 100+ Israeli prisoners much better than Israel has been caring for its 9,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is also not the body starving people to death, shooting, running over with bulldozers, torturing, and displacing. Hamas has not killed over 20,000 women and children. You know in your heart which group has “no regard for innocent life.”

Israeli soldiers stand by a truck packed with stripped, bound, and blindfolded Palestinian prisoners, Friday December 8, 2023 (photo)

VP HARRIS: The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated. And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire – (applause) – for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table.

Again, Ms. Harris, the only way to ensure the security of the people of Israel is to give the people of Palestine their human rights. Six weeks of quiet, followed by a continuation of the genocide is not what Palestinians need.

And the only way to end the immense suffering in Gaza is to see to it that Israel fulfills its obligations as the occupying power. Then the Biden administration needs to be the world leader it claims to be, by leading the way to a just and lasting peaceful solution. Don’t just talk about it – see it through to completion.

VP HARRIS: This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in. This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is more secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination. (Applause.)

Israel wants to be “more secure,” but so do the Palestinians. They have lived according to Israel’s cruel whims for too long. They have a right to dignity, freedom, self-determination, and security. Palestinians are not a pitiable or backward people who need to be fed and clothed. They are intelligent, cultured, and educated, and living under the brutal boot of Israel. Give them a chance to live free.

If you really want to do good for both peoples, your administration can not be Israel’s lap dog. Use today’s resolve to make a genuine change in the trajectory of the region.

VP HARRIS: Hamas claims it wants a ceasefire. Well, there is a deal on the table. And as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal.

Madam VP, if Hamas rejects your ceasefire deal, it won’t be because “Israel has no partner for peace.” It won’t be because “Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” It will be because it’s not a good deal. No one in the world is under any obligation to agree to a deal just because it comes from the president of the United States.

VP HARRIS: Let’s get a ceasefire. Let’s reunite the hostages with their families. And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza. (Applause.)

Madam VP: Yes, the 130 or so remaining Israeli prisoners (including those killed by Israel’s bombardment) should be reunited with their families. The 9,000+ Palestinian political prisoners should also be reunited with their families. Many of them, as you know, have not even been charged. Many are young people whose only crime was throwing a stone.

Please replay a video of this speech for yourself and your administration. Notice where the audience applauds and where it is silent. The people of the United States truly want to see justice for Palestinians.

We – the American voters and the rest of the world – will be watching. We want you to stop fueling the Israeli war machine and bankrolling for its excesses. We want you to stop pretending Israel isn’t committing genocide and start holding it accountable for its atrocities.

Let’s stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution.

Respectfully, the millions of Americans who have been marching and protesting for Palestinian rights for the past five months, five years, five decades.

Kathryn Shihadah is an editor and staff writer for If Americans Knew. She also blogs occasionally at Palestine Home.

READ MORE: