U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will tackle two delicate tasks this weekend in Dubai: She'll try to demonstrate U.S. environmental leadership despite President Joe Biden's absence from an annual summit on climate change and she'll work to nudge forward fragile efforts to shape the next phase of the war between Israel and Hamas.
A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to preview Harris' meetings, said she would sit down with regional leaders and outline proposals to "put Palestinian voices at the center" of planning the next steps for the Gaza Strip after the conflict.
The goal, the official said, is to have "a clear political horizon for the Palestinian people" that will ultimately bring together Gaza and the West Bank under unified leadership. Hamas runs the Gaza Strip while the Palestinian Authority administers semi-autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Biden and other administration officials have increasingly emphasized the need for an eventual two-state solution, with Israel and a Palestinian nation coexisting, as the war continues. The White House has faced criticism at home and abroad for its steadfast support for Israel despite the rising death toll among civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Administration officials have defended Biden's approach, saying that he's relied on his closeness with Israeli leadership to successfully advocate for more humanitarian aid for Palestinians and a truce that lasted several days, enabling the release of some hostages held by Hamas. The pause in fighting ended on Friday.
Slated to appear at COP28
Harris has a narrow opportunity to accomplish her goals while she's in the United Arab Emirates. She left Washington on Friday and is scheduled to appear only briefly at the United Nations conference known as COP28. The White House official said she would deliver remarks and participate in a meeting on renewable energy with other leaders on Saturday.
Like most vice presidents, Harris is expected to hew tightly to administration talking points on controversial issues where any divergence could ricochet around the globe. Her public remarks, however limited, will be closely scrutinized.
Activists are eager for any boost in the fight against climate change, which experts warn is lagging behind what's needed to prevent damaging global warming. And Harris will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit an Arab nation since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, where anti-American sentiment has been inflamed by Washington's support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Details on Harris' schedule remain scarce, and the trip appears to have been hastily arranged. As recently as last week, the vice president's staff said she had no plans to attend the climate conference. White House officials have not explained the change in plans.
Biden attended the last two United Nations summits, which were held in Scotland and Egypt, but disappointed some environmental activists by deciding to skip this one.
Although Biden has faced some criticism for missing COP28, Robert Stavins, a Harvard University professor who regularly attends climate conferences, said his absence won't have a substantive impact.
"The meat of the negotiations" have already taken place, he said, and all that's left for leaders is "essentially to participate in a photo opportunity."
U.S. officials said they're confident in the progress that has been made under Biden, particularly last year's signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included hundreds of millions of dollars in financial incentives for clean energy.
Harris scheduled to announce initiatives
The vice president is set to announce several initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as support multi-nation adaptation of plans and efforts to boost climate resilience, senior administration officials said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, special envoy John Kerry and climate adviser Ali Zaidi are attending as well.
The administration still faces some criticism. A report by the activist Center for Biological Diversity said that while new initiatives in the Inflation Reduction Act would reduce nearly 1 billion metric tons of carbon emissions by 2030, 17 different oil and gas projects the administration has approved would add 1.6 billion metric tons of emissions.
Administration officials said they've been required by law to approve the fossil fuel projects, which are tied to leases held by energy companies.
Harris's trip comes at a key moment as fighting resumed, ending a fragile truce that had held for a week while Hamas released hostages it was holding in Gaza since its October 7 attack on Israel. U.S. diplomats had been engaged in efforts to extend the pause in fighting to extract additional hostages, including Americans.
