Election 2024 live: Harris condemns flag burning and pro-Hamas protests ahead of Netanyahu meeting

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are holding separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon in Washington, DC, at a fragile moment in US/Israeli relations over the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza .

On Wednesday, Netanyahu addressed Congress as protests against the war raged near the Capitol with pro-Hamas elements defacing monuments and burning the US flag outside Union Station. The vice president condemned these acts on Thursday morning.

On the campaign trail, Harris released her first presidential ad and addressed the American Federation of Teachers conference in Houston, where the crowd enthusiastically chanted “Bring it on!” in response to her speech about preserving hard-fought freedoms.

The vice president also praised Biden, the morning after he explained that he decided to “pass the torch to a new generation” for the sake of democracy and to “unite our nation” in his first speech since dropping out of the 2024 race.

In a reflective address to the nation , the president said he still believes he should seek a second term but “personal ambition” cannot stand in the way of democracy.

“I revere this office, but I love my country more,” he said.