VP Harris urges Israel protect Gaza civilians, sketches post

By Nandita Bose and Aifure ECN European and American spreadsSteve Holland

DUBAI (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday too many Palestinians are being killed in Gaza and urged Israel to do more to protect them as she sketched out a U.S. vision for post-conflict Gaza.

At a news conference on the sidelines of the COP28 summit, Harris said Israel has a legitimate right to conduct military operations against Hamas militants, who launched attacks from Gaza on Oct. 7 in which more than 1,200 people in southern Israel were killed.

"As Israel defends itself, it matters how. The United States is unequivocal: International humanitarian law must be respected. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed," Harris said.

The United States has been increasingly vocal that Israel must narrow the combat zone during any offensive in southern Gaza and ensure safe areas for Palestinians.

"As Israel pursues its military objectives in Gaza, we believe Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians," she said.

Harris consulted with regional leaders while attending the climate summit in Dubai, after being asked by U.S. President Joe Biden to take his seat at the table as he focuses on the Israel-Hamas war.

In another message directed at Israel, Harris said the United States will not permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the besieging of Gaza or the redrawing of Gaza's borders.

"The international community must dedicate significant resources to support short- and long-term recovery in Gaza, for example, rebuilding hospitals and housing, restoring electricity and clean water and ensuring that bakeries can reopen and be restocked," she said.

Eventually, the Palestinian Authority security forces must be strengthened to eventually assume security responsibilities in Gaza but until then, she said, "There must be security arrangements that are acceptable to Israel, the people of Gaza, the Palestinian Authority, and the international partners."

Looking farther down the road, she said, the Palestinian Authority should be bolstered to the point that it can govern both the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas can no longer run Gaza, she said.

"We want to see a unified Gaza and West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, and Palestinian voices and aspirations must be at the center of this work," she said.

Once the war ends, efforts to rebuild should be pursued with a view toward the goal of a two-state solution in which Israel and the Palestinians live in peace, Harris said, referring to a long-sought U.S. objective that has not borne fruit.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority governs parts of the occupied West Bank. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' mainstream Fatah party and has ruled the enclave ever since.

Harris' role in the administration is coming under increased scrutiny as Biden, 81, runs for a second four-year term. She has been tasked with helping to resolve a series of major challenges, from migration to abortion and voting rights at home. How post-conflict Gaza should realistically be managed is an issue that has confounded regional leaders and Middle East experts.

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY FUTURE

U.S. officials have discussed bolstering the Palestinian Authority so it can widen its reach to include Gaza, but no firm plan has been agreed upon.

Some U.S. officials have privately expressed doubts about the Palestinian Authority's ability to govern Gaza post-war. Critics has accused the authority of corruption and mismanagement, and opinion polls have shown its credibility is low with the Palestinian people.

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