Netanyahu-Biden meeting overshadowed by Harris' “critical” comments and his stricter views on Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Joe Biden on Thursday, but a separate meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, appeared more forceful and underscored Harris' apparent tougher views, according to multiple reports .

Netanyahu's three hours meeting with Biden centering around the ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, both currently engaged in a war in Gaza, and the possible agreement to release the more than 100 hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu then met with Harris for a shorter time discussionand Harris later held a press conference explaining his views on the Israel-Hamas war and his “frank and constructive” discussion with Netanyahu, which reportedly left the prime minister concerned and seemed to highlight the tone Harris's loudest about the unresolved situation. seconds Axios reports i Politician.

“Harris' statement after the meeting was much more critical than what he said to Netanyahu at the meeting,” an Israeli official told Axios, noting that Netanyahu was upset that Harris had brought up a ceasefire as on the way to end the war, despite the Israeli government. commit to defeating Hamas completely before the conflict ends. The official also said Netanyahu was frustrated that Harris was openly critical of Israel's military operations in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis the war has created in the region.

“I also expressed with the Prime Minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of too many innocent civilians,” Harris told reporters. “We cannot afford to be numb to suffering. And I will not be silent.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with Vice President Harris pic.twitter.com/Ij62J3TqNn

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) July 25, 2024

Israeli officials told Axios that they and Netanyahu viewed Harris' comments as more critical than Biden's.

“We hope that Harris' public criticism of Israel will not give Hamas the impression that there is daylight between the US and Israel and, as a result, make it more difficult to reach an agreement,” an Israeli official told Axios.

Israel's goal since October 7, when Hamas terrorists invaded the country and killed some 1,200 people, has been eradicate the terrorist group in the region and rescue the remaining hostages in Gaza. As of July 16, Israel said which had killed about half of Hamas's fighting force.

It is not clear exactly how many civilians and soldiers have died in the ongoing war in Gaza, but current estimates put the number at around 39,000. seconds in the New York Times. This number is provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health, however supervised by Hamas and has come under scrutiny for credibility issues.

Israel and Hamas have been negotiating a cease fire The deal, months of negotiations between international negotiators including Qatar, Egypt and the US, has so far been unsuccessful, as neither Israel nor Hamas can agree on the final terms of a deal.

Harris described the current ceasefire deal on the table, which Biden publicly announced months earlier, during his remarks on Thursday after his meeting with Netanyahu.

Earlier today, I made some statements to the press about my meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. pic.twitter.com/lNLSaufIvK

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 26, 2024

“Thanks to the leadership of our president, Joe Biden, there is an agreement on the table for a ceasefire and a hostage agreement,” Harris told reporters Thursday. “And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it's time to make this deal.”

Harris has largely sided with Biden in calling for an end to the conflict, but, similar to his comments Thursday, has appeared to take a tougher tone than the president on the Palestinian issue, according to Politico. He is reported to have done so privately pressed the Biden administration to be more supportive of the Palestinian cause and take a tougher stance on the Netanyahu government.

Harris said in July interview with The Nation that pro-Palestinian protesters are “showing exactly what human emotion should be,” adding that he rejected some of what they were saying but understood “the emotion behind it.” The pro-Palestinian protests have it exploded across the country since October 7, with some turning into displays of anti-Semitism or violence.

Netanyahu must travel to Florida visit Former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Friday. Although Trump has publicly supported Israel's efforts to defeat Hamas, he noted during a interview You said the country had to “finish it quickly”.

“It cannot continue like this. It's too long. It's too much,” Trump said Thursday on Fox News.

The prime minister's office and the Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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