During the debate, US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris expressed their positions on the war between Israel and Hamas.
CNN and DW write about this.
Harris on the war between Israel and Hamas
Harris repeated some of her previous remarks, saying Israel has the right to defend itself after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people in Israel last year.
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She called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the liberation of hostages held by militants.
“We have to chart a course toward a two-state solution that guarantees security for Israelis and equally for Palestinians,” Harris said.
Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late July, Harris delivered a powerful and high-profile speech on the situation in Gaza.
She echoed Joe Biden’s repeated comments about Israel’s ironclad support and unwavering commitment to Israel, and the need to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Harris said the country has a right to defend itself, but noted that how it does so matters.
She went on to describe images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for a second, third or fourth time, and said she would not remain silent.
The vice president continued to speak about the plight of the people in Gaza, as well as the need to free Israeli hostages and broker a ceasefire, in her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Harris said that as president, she would uphold the U.S. alliance with Israel and ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself.
Trump on Israel-Hamas War
When asked about the war between Israel and Hamas, Trump began by saying that the conflict would never have started if he were still president.
Former President Donald Trump also met with Netanyahu in July, the first such meeting between the two leaders since as Trump left the White House more than three years ago.
Trump, who often claims to be the most pro-Israel president in modern history, once boasted of his close, personal relationship with Netanyahu. However, their relationship has soured in recent years, with the former president reluctant to engage with him throughout the ongoing conflict.
Immediately after the Hamas attack on Israel, Trump criticized Netanyahu for his handling of the war, telling Fox News that the prime minister and the country as a whole were “unprepared”.
Many Israelis have speculated that Trump will give Netanyahu a longer leash to use more force in Gaza.
Trump has said that Israel must “finish what they started”, “end it quickly”, and that the US should “let Israel finish the job”.
