Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly upset by Vice President Kamala Harris’s public comments after their nearly hour-long meeting. The meeting was meant to address the need for a ceasefire deal as well as bringing the Hamas-captured hostages back home.
Harris’s meeting with Netanyahu (Bibi) marks the first meeting with a foreign leader since the beginning of her 2024 presidential campaign.
Israeli officials say that Netanyahu was caught off guard by the tone of Harris’ two-faced speech addressing the need for the human suffering to end in Gaza.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people, fleeing for safety sometimes displaces for the second, third or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent,” Harris proclaimed.
BREAKING: VP Harris speaks after meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu
Harris calling for an immediate cease-fire deal to free the hostages.
The VP saying she “will not be silent" about the suffering in Gaza, the "devastating" loss of life and the "dire" humanitarian crisis. pic.twitter.com/Fe5QPoOuFh
Israeli officials expressed concern over the perceived rift in approach between the two allies.
“When there is such daylight, it pushes the deal further away and brings a regional escalation closer. We hope that Harris’ public criticism of Israel won’t give Hamas the impression that there is daylight between the US and Israel and as a result make it harder to get a deal,” an Israeli official stated.
The rift between the vice president’s comments and Israel’s stance is Harris’s shaky assumption that a hostage and ceasefire deal will automatically constitute the end of the war.
Additionally, one of Vice President Kamala Harris’s aids commented on the confusion between Harris’s address and her closed-door support of Netanyahu.
Kamala has “rock solid support for Israel on the one hand and concern about civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis in Gaza on the other hand – as she always does,” the aide said.
Today, I had a frank and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu about a wide range of issues, including my commitment to Israel’s security, the importance of addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the urgent need to get the ceasefire and hostage deal done. pic.twitter.com/tgiSTPQJdL
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