Vice President Kamala Harris assured Egypt's president on Saturday that the US won't permit the redrawing of the Gaza Strip's borders or the forced relocation of Palestinians. While reiterating US support for Israel's "legitimate military objectives" in its attack on Gaza, Harris decried the toll there, CNN reports. "Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed," Harris said at a press conference in Dubai. "Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering, and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating. It is truly heartbreaking."
Harris met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and other leaders of Arab nations while in the United Arab Emirates for the UN climate conference. She originally wasn't scheduled to attend the event, and a chance to hold talks about the Israel-Hamas war was a main reason for the trip, per the AP. Harris took advantage of the gathering to also meet with leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Jordan in a speed round of diplomacy. She spoke by phone with the emir of Qatar. The emphasis in her discussions was on Gaza's future.
In her press conference, Harris referred to the need to plan for what happens when the fighting stops. "There is a mutual desire to figure out how we are going to figure out and approach 'the day after' in ways that bring stability and peace to this region," Harris said. Palestinian Authority security forces "must be strengthened to eventually assume security responsibilities in Gaza," she said, adding that terrorists cannot be allowed to continue to threaten Israel, per the AP. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)