Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of Israel’s delegation to the United States were taken aback by comments made by Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday, following her meeting with Netanyahu in Washington D.C.
The vice president met with Netanyahu Thursday for about 40 minutes, the prime minister’s office said, a day after his address to a special joint session of Congress.
Shortly after their meeting, Harris tweeted a brief summary of their conversation, saying the two discussed Israel’s security, the “humanitarian crisis” in the Gaza Strip, and a possible ceasefire deal.
“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,” Harris wrote.
Harris also gave a press briefing following her meeting with Netanyahu, emphasizing what she called the “dire” humanitarian situation in Gaza in an apparent criticism of Israel’s handling of the war.
“I will not be silent,” Harris vowed. “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 displaced 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.”
The vice president called for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and said that she had prodded Netanyahu to finalize a deal with Hamas.
“As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done.”
A senior Israeli official told multiple media outlets that Harris’ comments surprised Netanyahu and sparked concern among delegation members that the vice president’s rhetoric could be interpreted by Hamas as signs of an intensifying rift between Jerusalem and Washington.
“Hopefully the things the vice president said in a press conference would not be interpreted by Hamas as a rift developing between Israel and the United States, which would delay a deal,” the official said, according to Yedioth Aharanoth.
“Her tone surprised us,” he continued. “The question now is what would Hamas’s answer to the Israeli proposal be. One thing that was raised in the talks with both U.S. President Joe Biden and Harris was that there should not be daylight between the Israeli and American positions because that would cause Hamas to reject the deal. What should the terror group think when it hears Harris? We can only hope this does not there is no backing down from the deal because we have made much progress.”
Netanyahu is slated to meet with former president and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump Friday in Florida, a day after he met with President Joe Biden in the White House.
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