No mention of Israel or Gaza was made on Monday, Labor Day in the United States, when Vice President Kamala Harris, Vice Presidential Nominee Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden addressed union workers across critical states Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Biden, who introduced Harris in Pittsburgh, briefly told reporters before leaving Washington, D.C. that he didn't think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau was doing everything possible to free the hostages.
Biden had harsh words for Netanyahu and Hamas in the aftermath of the terror group’s execution of six hostages held in Gaza, including Israel-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
Biden spoke with reporters prior to his meeting with members of his negotiating team at the White House on Monday.
Biden has hope
He appeared to confirm reports that the US would soon present a final hostage deal to Israel and Hamas.“We’re very close to that,” he said when asked about that report.
He was also quizzed as to why this effort would be successful when past initiatives had failed, he said, “Hope springs eternal.”
He added “We're not giving up. We're going to continue to push as hard as we can.”Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters that Biden’s comments were an acknowledgment that Netanyahu was undermining efforts.
Pennsylvania's Jewish Gov. Josh Shapiro, who introduced Biden and Harris in Pittsburgh, also did not mention Israel or Gaza.