[[{"content_id":393248,"content_number":0,"portal_id":2,"lang_id":"en","content_title":"Harris says Israel has 'right to defend itself', loses Muslim group support","content_rtitr":"","content_short_title":null,"content_summary":"US Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has reiterated Washington's support for Israel, stating that Tel Aviv has the \"right to defend itself\" as a Muslim group withdrew support for her due to her campaign's anti-Palestinian actions.","content_summary_fill":1,"content_body":"\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&quot;Let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel&#39;s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself,&quot; Harris told a rapturous crowd on the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). \r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe event was also attended by pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian Democrats in Chicago late on Thursday as she outlined her stance on the Gaza war and the humanitarian crisis in the blockaded enclave.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nStopping short of criticizing the Israeli regime for its months-long onslaught on Palestinians, Harris added, &ldquo;What has happened in Gaza in the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe Democratic presidential nominee labeled the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas as a &ldquo;terrorist&rdquo; organization and claimed that she and her boss, President Joe Biden, were &ldquo;working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere were scattered shouts of &quot;Free Palestine&quot; at the DNC, during which Harris officially accepted the presidential nomination of the party for the November race.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince the war erupted in October, the Biden administration has stood steadfastly with Israel, which has included continued military aid to the regime despite continued pro-Palestine marches across the country.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe DNC has also been witness to protests over the Israeli genocidal war and the Biden administration&rsquo;s Gaza policy, with protesters burning American flags and getting into confrontations with police in Chicago.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSpeaking to the American news website Axios, pro-Israel Democrats at the convention rejected the notion that there is any difference between Harris and Biden on the Gaza war.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&quot;I think the Vice President Harris will be a strong supporter of Israel and carry forward the policies that the Biden administration have carried forth,&quot; said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) also said Harris will continue the &quot;historically strong relationship between America and Israel.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMuslim group pulls support for Harris\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn another development on Wednesday and following the DNC&rsquo;s refusal to allow a Palestinian person to speak at the Chicago convention, Muslim Women for Harris said they can no longer endorse the Democratic nominee. \r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&ldquo;We cannot in good conscience continue Muslim Women for Harris in light of this new information&hellip;that VP Harris&rsquo; team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC,&rdquo; the group wrote in a statement.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&ldquo;We pray that the DNC and VP Harris team makes the right decision before this convention is over. For the sake of each of us.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHarris has previously met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and underscored her &ldquo;unwavering commitment to Israel.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nA day earlier, the US police arrested dozens of pro-Palestine protesters outside the Israeli regime&rsquo;s consulate in Chicago as they demanded an end to the occupying entity&rsquo;s months-long onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs police officers loaded a group of detainees into the van, some of them reportedly chanted &quot;free Palestine&quot; in a call-and-response with supporters standing to the side outside the police line.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIsrael launched its bloody Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, following a surprise operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSo far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 40,265 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 93,144 others.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe US remains Israel&rsquo;s most important ally and biggest supplier of arms. It has provided Israel with weapons and intelligence support during the Gaza war and blocked UN resolutions calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory.","content_html":"<p dir=\"LTR\"><br \/>\r\n&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\"><span dir=\"RTL\">&quot;<\/span>Let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel&#39;s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself,&quot; Harris told a rapturous crowd on the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC)<span dir=\"RTL\">. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">The event was also attended by pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian Democrats in Chicago late on Thursday as she outlined her stance on the Gaza war and the humanitarian crisis in the blockaded enclave<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Stopping short of criticizing the Israeli regime for its months-long onslaught on Palestinians, Harris added, &ldquo;What has happened in Gaza in the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking<span dir=\"RTL\">.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">The Democratic presidential nominee labeled the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas as a &ldquo;terrorist&rdquo; organization and claimed that she and her boss, President Joe Biden, were &ldquo;working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released<span dir=\"RTL\">.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">There were scattered shouts of &quot;Free Palestine&quot; at the DNC, during which Harris officially accepted the presidential nomination of the party for the November race<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Since the war erupted in October, the Biden administration has stood steadfastly with Israel, which has included continued military aid to the regime despite continued pro-Palestine marches across the country<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">The DNC has also been witness to protests over the Israeli genocidal war and the Biden administration&rsquo;s Gaza policy, with protesters burning American flags and getting into confrontations with police in Chicago<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Speaking to the American news website Axios, pro-Israel Democrats at the convention rejected the notion that there is any difference between Harris and Biden on the Gaza war<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\"><span dir=\"RTL\">&quot;<\/span>I think the Vice President Harris will be a strong supporter of Israel and carry forward the policies that the Biden administration have carried forth,&quot; said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.)<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) also said Harris will continue the &quot;historically strong relationship between America and Israel<span dir=\"RTL\">.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Muslim group pulls support for Harris<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">In another development on Wednesday and following the DNC&rsquo;s refusal to allow a Palestinian person to speak at the Chicago convention, Muslim Women for Harris said they can no longer endorse the Democratic nominee<span dir=\"RTL\">. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\"><span dir=\"RTL\">&ldquo;<\/span>We cannot in good conscience continue Muslim Women for Harris in light of this new information&hellip;that VP Harris&rsquo; team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC,&rdquo; the group wrote in a statement<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\"><span dir=\"RTL\">&ldquo;<\/span>We pray that the DNC and VP Harris team makes the right decision before this convention is over. For the sake of each of us<span dir=\"RTL\">.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Harris has previously met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and underscored her &ldquo;unwavering commitment to Israel<span dir=\"RTL\">.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">A day earlier, the US police arrested dozens of pro-Palestine protesters outside the Israeli regime&rsquo;s consulate in Chicago as they demanded an end to the occupying entity&rsquo;s months-long onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">As police officers loaded a group of detainees into the van, some of them reportedly chanted &quot;free Palestine&quot; in a call-and-response with supporters standing to the side outside the police line<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Israel launched its bloody Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, following a surprise operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 40,265 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 93,144 others<span dir=\"RTL\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">The US remains Israel&rsquo;s most important ally and biggest supplier of arms. It has provided Israel with weapons and intelligence support during the Gaza war and blocked UN resolutions calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory.<\/p>","content_source":"","content_url":"","content_date_start":"2024-08-23 13:33:42","content_date_event":"2024-08-23 13:33:42","content_date_event_start":null,"content_date_event_end":null,"content_show_title_slider":1,"content_date_last_edit":"2024-08-23 13:34:12","content_date_register":"2024-08-23 13:34:12","content_columns":0,"content_show_img":1,"content_show_details":0,"content_show_related_img":0,"content_show_slider":1,"content_comment":1,"content_score":0,"tag_id":0,"score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"uid":43,"eid":0,"attach_title":"Harris says Israel has 'right to defend itself', loses Muslim group support","attaches":[{"sizes":{"150":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/535704_1686653472_150_83.webp","300":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/535704_1686653472_300_167.webp","400":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/535704_1686653472_400_222.webp","600":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/535704_1686653472_600_334.webp","900":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/535704_1686653472_900_500.webp","1200":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/535704_1686653472_1000_556.jpg"},"ext":"jpg","file_media":1,"token":1686653472,"files":{"original":{"url":".\/file\/2\/attach\/202408\/535704_1686653472.jpg","width":1000,"height":556,"size":0}}}]}]]