Harris says she backs Biden’s withholding of 2,000-pound bombs from Israel

US Vice President Kamala Harris says she supports the May decision made by President Joe Biden to withhold a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs from Israel.

“One of the things that we have done that I’m entirely supportive of is the pause that we’ve put on the 2,000-pound bombs,” Harris says during an onstage interview at a National Association of Black Journalists event during which she was repeatedly pressed on why the US isn’t using more leverage against Israel to end the war in Gaza.

Harris begins her answer by going through what has become somewhat of a stump speech that she gives on the Israel-Hamas war when the issue comes up at campaign events. She stresses the brutal nature of Hamas’s October 7 onslaught; that Israel has a right to defend itself; that how it does so matters; that too many Palestinian civilians have been killed; that the scenes coming out of Gaza are heartbreaking; that the US is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal to end the war as soon as possible; that there should ultimately be a two-state solution to the conflict; and that Iran is not empowered to sow instability.

The Democratic presidential nominee adds that she has been involved in talks with Israeli and Arab leaders regarding the postwar management of Gaza and reiterates that there can be no Israeli reoccupation of the Strip.