Harris criticizes flag burning; protesters label it a diversion from Gaza crisis

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday condemned the burning of American flags by protesters a day ago when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress, while pro-Palestinian demonstrators distanced themselves from the act and said it was a distraction from the crisis in Gaza.

Thousands demonstrated outside the Capitol on Wednesday in a protest in which police used pepper spray on marching protesters as they reached a police blockade. About a mile away from that spot, some demonstrators later hoisted Palestinian flags and burned American ones, an act condemned by top US leaders, including Harris.

"I condemn the burning of the American flag," Harris said in a statement. "It should never be desecrated in that way."

Her statement also condemned pro-Hamas graffiti and made no mention of police using pepper spray on protesters.

Later on Thursday, a few dozen pro-Palestinian protesters and a smaller number of pro-Israel demonstrators gathered outside the White House on Thursday as President Joe Biden and Harris met with Netanyahu.

Pro-Palestinian protesters held banners that read "Israel uses US tax dollars to kill Palestinian children" and "Arrest this criminal," referring to the International Criminal Court prosecutor office's arrest warrant against the Israeli leader over alleged war crimes in Gaza that he denies.

Pro-Israeli demonstrators carried Israeli flags and demanded release of hostages held in Gaza.

One pro-Palestinian protest organizing group said the focus on the flag burning was a distraction from the use of pepper spray by police against demonstrators and from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza against which protesters demonstrated.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday said the state would begin removing homeless encampments.

"They are attempting to demonize the protests, and focus on one individual sign or some individual's burning of the American flag," the ANSWER group, an acronym for 'act now to stop war and end racism', said.

Another group, CodePink, said it did not participate in or endorse the burning of flags.

"We do question the moral clarity of people more upset over the burning of fabric than over the burning to death of children by weapons their own country supplied," CodePink added.

Gaza's health ministry says nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave in Israel's assault that has also displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis. The Israeli assault followed an Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which governed Gaza, on Israel that killed 1,200 with about 250 people taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Separately, family members of some hostages met US and Israeli officials, including Biden and Netanyahu, at the White House and urged that a ceasefire deal be reached quickly to get hostages released and stop the killings in Gaza.

"We came in really emphasizing ... a desire to get this (ceasefire) deal done," Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of one of the hostages, told reporters after the meeting.

"We came today with a sense of urgency."