Harris aide meets with Palestinian officials in West Bank

Vice President Harris’s national security adviser traveled to the West Bank on Wednesday for meetings with Palestinian officials amid fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

Phil Gordon met with Israeli officials earlier in the week and met Wednesday with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein al-Sheikh and head of Palestinian General Intelligence Services Majid Faraj. Gordon also met with Palestinian business leaders.

“Throughout his meetings in Ramallah, Dr. Gordon emphasized the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to support the Palestinian people and their right to security, dignity, and self-determination,” the vice president’s office said in a readout of the meetings. “He underscored our commitment to the future establishment of a Palestinian state and made clear that the Palestinian people must have a hopeful political horizon. To that end, Dr. Gordon discussed the revitalization of the Palestinian Authority.”

Gordon’s visit came on the heels of meetings Harris had in Dubai with Arab officials on the sidelines of a United Nations climate summit.

Gordon and Palestinian officials discussed the situation in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured in bombings and fighting in recent weeks as Israel targets Hamas leaders in the aftermath of the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attacks that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis.

Gordon “emphasized that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, that Hamas poses an unacceptable terrorist threat to the Israeli people, and that Hamas cannot control Gaza when the fighting ends,” the vice president’s office said.

Gordon also discussed with officials a new Biden administration policy restricting visas for individuals determined to have been involved in recent violence in the West Bank.

The Biden administration has sought to walk a delicate line in the roughly two months since Hamas launched its attacks against Israel, arguing the Israelis have a right to defend themselves and seek justice against Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza.

At the same time, the White House has tried to address concerns about violence and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as what will happen in the region when the fighting stops.

President Biden has argued a two-state solution involving Israel and the Palestinians is the ultimate goal, though he acknowledged at a fundraiser in Boston on Tuesday that not everyone is in agreement.

“I’ve been working with a number of people in and out of government to figure out what after — what after Gaza,” Biden said. “And I think the only ultimate solution is a two-state solution.  I’ve been — I’ve had that view for a long, long time.”