US Presidential Elections: Kamala Harris pledged to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.
Vice President Kamala Harris, accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, pledged to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict and solidify support for Ukraine, while criticizing her Republican opponent Donald Trump's stance.
On the final, and most anticipated, night of the four-day Chicago convention, Harris, 59, promised to chart a "New Way Forward" as she and Trump, 78, enter the final 11 weeks of the razor-close campaign.
"Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done," Kamala Harris told her supporters at the Democratic National Convention as she accepted the party's presidential nomination.
"And 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," she said
"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 added.
"President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination."
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The speech laid out some broad policy principles, foreign and domestic, but left unsaid specific details which in weeks to come she could be pressured to provide.
After days of protests from Palestinian supporters who were disappointed at not getting a speaking spot at the convention, Harris delivered a pledge to secure Israel, bring the hostages home from Gaza and end the war in the Palestinian enclave.
Attacking Trump for his frequent denigration of NATO and Ukraine, she said that "as president I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies."
Ms Harris called out Trump's public praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, saying "I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators."
Tyrants are "rooting for Trump, because you know, they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself," she said.