Harris pledges to end the war in Gaza’ if elected US president

WASHINGTON: US Democratic nominee Kamala Harris pledged Sunday to do everything in her power to end Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip if she is elected president in remarks delivered just two days ahead of Election Day.

“This year has been difficult given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza and given the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon. It is devastating, and as president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza, to bring home the hostages, end the suffering in Gaza, ensure Israel is secure, and ensure the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, security and self-determination,” she said to raucous applause during a campaign rally in the pivotal battleground state of Michigan.

Harris badly needs to secure a majority in the seven pivotal battleground states in this year's election cycle amid a virtual dead heat with former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump nationally. A compilation of polling compiled by the RealClearPolitics website has Trump ahead by just 0.1% nationally, with five polls indicating they are locked in a tie.

Michigan, with a vibrant Arab and Muslim community and 15 Electoral College votes at stake, is crucial to her election prospects. It along with Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are considered this year's swing states.

Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- once considered reliably Democratic -- are again crucial battlegrounds. Known as the "blue wall," these states fell to Trump in 2016, only to be secured by President Joe Biden in 2020.

Harris and Trump have each spent significant time campaigning in the states with the understanding that any one could potentially decide the election.

Election Day is slated for Nov. 5 with Americans set to decide not just the future of the American presidency but that of Congress and a number of state and local races.

More than 78 million Americans have cast early ballots, including about 700,000 more Democrats than Republicans, according to data published by the University of Florida Election Lab.

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