随着中东冲突的升级，副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯和前总统唐纳德·特朗普都在周一暂停了在战场州的竞选活动，以纪念10月7日哈马斯袭击以色列纪念日。
哈里斯和第二先生道格·艾姆霍夫在副总统的住所种植了一棵石榴树，这在犹太教中是希望和正义的象征。特朗普访问了纽约皇后区的Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch -被认为是哈西德派犹太人的圣地，在那里他私下参观了Ohel，即旧Montefiore公墓的Rebbe墓地，在那里他被看到与拉比握手，并与领导人交往。
特朗普的竞选团队宣布，特朗普将于晚些时候在他自己的地产特朗普国家多拉尔迈阿密与犹太社区领袖举行的纪念活动上发表讲话。
周一，哈里斯敦促全国人民在反思10月7日的恐怖事件时，也要提醒他们“我们不能失去信心。”
“我永远不会忘记10月7日，世界也永远不会忘记。对我们的要求是什么?我们必须努力确保类似10月7日的恐怖事件永远不再发生，在这个庄严的日子里，我将重申我的承诺，永远确保以色列拥有保卫自己所需的一切，我将永远努力确保这里和世界各地犹太人的安全。
为了纪念10月7日，哈里斯的竞选搭档、州长蒂姆·瓦尔兹(Tim Walz)周一参观了加利福尼亚州卡尔弗城的“新星展览”(Nova Exhibition)，这是一个纪念哈马斯袭击受害者的展览。根据哈里斯竞选团队的说法，瓦尔兹在抵达展会时受到了Noa Beer和展会活动制片人Virginia Fout的欢迎，Noa Beer是10月7日袭击的幸存者，也是Nova音乐节的组织者。
继哈马斯于2023年10月7日袭击以色列以及以色列随后袭击加沙之后，中东冲突已成为本次选举周期的首要问题之一。停火的压力在民主党内造成了裂痕，共和党人试图利用这一时刻，而特朗普自己的煽动性言论继续面临批评者的抵制。
请在10月7日星期一晚上8:30收听美国广播公司新闻直播节目“10月7日:生存竞赛”——对冲突周年纪念的特别报道。资深记者马特·古特曼强调了受战争和加沙持续人道主义危机影响的以色列人和巴勒斯坦人的声音。
自从一年前哈马斯在以色列发动突然的恐怖袭击，以色列以宣战作为回应，据报道已有数千人伤亡。以色列表示，其目标是摧毁哈马斯，并试图尽可能减少平民伤亡。与此同时，加沙出现了人道主义危机，包括卫生保健系统的崩溃。
哈里斯在强调美国和以色列联盟的同时，呼吁加沙的人道主义危机，并一再呼吁停火，包括在8月的民主党全国代表大会上在那里，她首次正式向公众介绍自己，成为2024年总统竞选的民主党候选人。
随着战争的深入，民主党在这个问题上出现了分歧伊朗对以色列的最新攻击。虽然哈里斯明显试图穿针引线，试图弥合意识形态的差距，但人们仍然担心拜登-哈里斯政府是否对以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡缺乏影响力。
在之前发布的预览剪辑中她在CBS新闻“60分钟”节目中的采访。哈里斯仍然与乔·拜登总统的立场保持一致，他说，政府正在尽其所能“允许以色列自卫”，他们将继续“向以色列和该地区，包括阿拉伯领导人施加压力”，以释放人质并实现停火。
她声称，他们与内塔尼亚胡进行的谈判导致了公开对话和以色列在该地区的态度的改变，但回避了内塔尼亚胡是否是美国“真正亲密”盟友的问题，她说:“更好的问题是:我们在美国人民和以色列人民之间有一个重要的联盟吗?这个问题的答案是肯定的。”
特朗普在竞选中做出了巨大努力来讨好犹太裔美国选民，经常声称“没有一位总统比我为以色列做得更多。”在竞选过程中，特朗普参加了共和党犹太联盟和以色列-美国委员会以犹太人为重点的竞选活动。
他还与主要捐助者和直言不讳的以色列倡导者米里亚姆·阿德尔森(Miriam Adelson)一起竞选，后者在2024年大选的最后几个月投资近9000万美元支持特朗普。
与此同时，特朗普一再抨击犹太民主党人，包括艾姆霍夫和民主党参议员查克·舒默，声称投票给民主党人的犹太裔美国人应该接受“检查”。
“他们不是你的朋友。我不明白怎么会有人支持他们，”特朗普在上个月的共和党犹太联盟年度峰会上发表虚拟言论时说。“我经常这么说。如果你需要他们的支持，并且你是犹太人，你必须检查你的脑袋。”
特朗普还批评内塔尼亚胡，称在一次《时代》杂志4月发表的采访10月7日的袭击是在他的眼皮底下发生的，他因此受到了“正当的批评”。
“我要说的是，比比·内塔尼亚胡理所当然地受到了对10月7日发生的事情的批评，”特朗普告诉《时代》杂志，再次批评他退出了2020年美国和以色列刺杀伊朗高级将军的联合行动。
“这是在他的任期内发生的，”特朗普在谈到内塔尼亚胡和以色列-哈马斯战争时说。“不管发生了什么，我认为这对他有着深远的影响。因为人们说那不应该发生。他们拥有最先进的设备。”
尽管如此，特朗普在7月会见了内塔尼亚胡，坚称他们的关系“从来都不坏”
“我们有着良好的工作关系。我对以色列非常好，比任何一位总统都好，”特朗普在与内塔尼亚胡会晤后声称。
特朗普在竞选信息中坚持认为，在他的政府领导下，世界是一个更安全的地方，声称10月7日对以色列的袭击不会在他的总统任期内发生，外国对手正在发动袭击，因为拜登-哈里斯政府的弱点。
“自从伊朗向全世界输出恐怖以来，它一直在瓦解，整个中东一直在瓦解，但当然，自从我们离任以来，整个世界一直在瓦解，”特朗普上周二在威斯康星州沃纳基的一场竞选活动中说，就在伊朗对以色列发动导弹袭击之后。
哈里斯7月还会见了内塔尼亚胡。会后，她重申以色列有权自卫，但补充说，“如何做很重要。”哈里斯说，她与内塔尼亚胡谈论了她对加沙平民的附带损害和痛苦的“严重关切”。
哈马斯在2023年10月7日的袭击造成以色列约1200人死亡，约250人被绑架。据哈马斯控制的加沙卫生部统计，自那以来，已有超过41，000人在加沙丧生。
" 200多万人面临严重的粮食不安全，50万人面临灾难性的严重粮食不安全，加沙过去9个月发生的情况是灾难性的;死去的孩子和绝望、饥饿的人逃离安全地带的画面，有时是第二次、第三次或第四次流离失所，”哈里斯说。
Trump, Harris mark anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel
As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are both taking a break from campaigning in battleground states on Monday to memorialize theanniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Harris, alongside second gentleman Doug Emhoff, marked the day by planting a pomegranate tree at the vice president's residence -- a symbol of hope and righteousness in Judaism. Trump visited Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch -- considered a sacred site amongst Hasidic Jews -- in Queens, New York, where he had an intimate private visit to the Ohel, the gravesite of the Rebbe at the Old Montefiore Cemetery, where he was seen shaking hands with Rabbis and mingling with leaders.
Later, Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at a remembrance event with Jewish community leaders at his own property Trump National Doral Miami, his campaign announced.
On Monday, Harris urged the country that as they reflect on the horrors of Oct. 7, they also be reminded "we cannot lose faith."
"I will never forget October 7, and the world must never forget. What is asked of us? We must work to ensure nothing like the horrors of Oct. 7 can ever happen again, and on this solemn day, I will restate my pledge to always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself, and that I will always work to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people here and around the world," Harris pledged.
To commemorate Oct. 7, Harris' running mate, Gov. Tim Walz visited the "Nova Exhibition" -- an exhibit honoring the victims of the Hamas attack -- in Culver City, California, on Monday. Walz was greeted by Noa Beer, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attack and an organizer of the Nova Music Festival, and the exhibition's event producer Virginia Fout upon his arrival at the exhibition, according to the Harris campaign.
Following Hamas' attacks on Israel on Oct, 7, 2023, and Israel's ensuing assaults on Gaza, the conflict in the Middle East has become one of the top issues this election cycle. Pressure for a cease-fire has created a rift within the Democratic Party and Republicans are attempting to capitalize on that moment while Trump's own inflammatory comments continue to face pushback from critics.
Tune into ABC News Live at 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, for "Oct 7th: Race to Survive" -- special coverage of the anniversary of the conflict. Veteran correspondent Matt Gutman highlights voices of Israelis and Palestinians impacted by the war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Since Hamas launched its surprise terrorist attack in Israel one year ago, and Israel responded by declaring war, thousands have reportedly been killed or injured. Israel has said its goal is to destroy Hamas and that it attempts to minimize civilian casualties as often as possible. Meanwhile, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Gaza, including the collapse of the health care system.
Harris, while stressing the alliance between the United States and Israel, has appealed to the humanitarian crises in Gaza and has repeatedly called for a cease-fire,including at the Democratic National Convention in August, where she officially introduced herself to the public for the first time as the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential race.
The Democratic Party is divided on the issue as the war deepens withIran's latest attack on Israel. Although Harris has noticeably attempted to thread the needle in an attempt to bridge the ideological gap, concerns remain about whether the Biden-Harris administration lacks influence over Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a preview clip released ahead ofher interview on CBS News' "60 Minutes,"Harris remained aligned with President Joe Biden's position, saying the administration is doing what they can to "allow Israel to defend itself" and that they will continue to put "pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders" to release the hostages and achieve a cease-fire.
She claimed the negotiations they've done with Netanyahu have led to open conversations and changes in Israel's approach in the region, but dodged the question on whether Netanyahu is a "real close" ally of the U.S., saying, "the better question is: do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes."
Trump on the campaign trail has made an extensive effort to court Jewish American voters, often claiming that "no President has done more for Israel than I have." Over the course of the campaign, Trump has participated in Jewish-focused campaign events with the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Israeli-American Council.
He has also been campaigning with major donor and vocal Israel-advocate Miriam Adelson, who is investing nearly $90 million in support of Trump in the final months of the 2024 general election.
At the same time, Trump has repeatedly sparked criticism by attacking Jewish Democrats, including Emhoff and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, claiming that Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats should get their "head examined."
"They have not been your friends. I don't understand how anybody can support them," Trump said during his virtual remarks at the Republican Jewish Coalition annual summit last month. "And I say it constantly. If you had them to support and you were Jewish, you have to have your head examined."
Trump also criticized Netanyahu, saying in aTIME magazine interview published in Aprilthat the Oct. 7 attacks happened "on his watch" and that he has been "rightfully criticized" for the attacks.
"I will say this, Bibi Netanyahu rightfully has been criticized for what took place on Oct. 7," Trump told TIME, criticizing him again for backing out on what was supposed to be a joint U.S.-Israel operation to assassinate a top Iranian general in 2020.
"It happened on his watch," Trump said about Netanyahu and the Israel-Hamas war. "And I think it's had a profound impact on him, despite everything. Because people said that shouldn't have happened. They have the most sophisticated equipment."
Still,Trump met with Netanyahu in July, insisting their relationship "was never bad."
"We've had a good working relationship. I was very good to Israel, better than any president has ever been," Trump claimed after meeting with Netanyahu.
Trump has insisted in his campaign messages that the world was a safer place under his administration, claiming that the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel would not have happened under his presidency and that foreign adversaries are launching attacks because of the Biden-Harris administration's weakness.
"Ever since Iran has been exporting terror all over the world and, it's been just unraveling, the whole Middle East has been unraveling, but of course, the whole world has been unraveling since we left office," Trump said at a campaign event in Waunakee, Wisconsin, last Tuesday just after Iran launched missile attacks on Israel.
Harrisalso met with Netanyahu in July. After the meeting, she reiterated that Israel has the right to defend itself but added, "how it does so matters." Harris said that she talked to Netanyahu about her "serious concern" about the collateral damage and suffering of Gazan civilians.
Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with some 250 people kidnapped. And more than 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
"With over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity, and half a million people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, what has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating; the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time," Harris said.
