Harris urges end to Gaza war, opposes Israeli reoccupation

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris called on Tuesday for an end to the Israel-Gaza war and said that Israel must not reoccupy the Palestinian enclave once the nearly year-old conflict concludes.

Speaking in Philadelphia to the National Association of Black Journalists, she called for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, a two-state solution, and stability in the Middle East in a way that does not empower Iran.

"We've made ourselves very clear this deal needs to get done in the best interest of everyone in the region," Harris, the U.S. vice president, said in response to questions from three journalists.

Harris was also asked about Springfield, Ohio, a city that has been at the center of a social media maelstrom after right-wing agitators spread false claims that Haitian arrivals were eating household pets.

Former President Donald Trump, Harris' Republican rival in the Nov. 5 presidential election, has pledged to conduct mass deportations of Haitian immigrants from Springfield if elected, even though the majority are in the United States legally.

"This is exhausting and it's harmful and it's hateful and grounded in some age-old stuff that we should not have tolerance for," Harris said.

The 45-minute interview began with economic issues. Harris said that if elected president, she will work with private investors to boost housing supply, acknowledging that more work is needed to lower prices for Americans.

"One of the big issues that affects people right now in terms of the economy and their economic wellbeing is we have a shortage of housing supply," Harris said. "It's too expensive."

Harris reiterated a plan to expand the child tax credit to $6,000 and repeated a pledge that Americans should not pay more than 7% of their income on childcare.

The interview was scheduled after Harris did not attend the group's convention in Chicago in July, when Trump, in an interview, questioned her Black identity.

Reuters