Israeli officials said Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to miss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to parliament was “disappointing.”
“It is unfortunate for Ms Harris to boycott Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday at a time when we are in the midst of a difficult war with Iran and its terrorist proxies,” an anonymous Israeli official told The Telegraph.
“The free world cannot have a leader who cannot distinguish between good and evil,” the source said.
Politico reports that Harris will have to miss Netanyahu’s speech due to a scheduled event in Indianapolis.
The media outlet noted that the timing of the appearance was decided before the prime minister was scheduled to speak.
According to the Telegraph, the vice president will instead hold bilateral talks with Netanyahu and express his view that it is time to end Israel’s war with Hamas.
Still, her decision to skip Netanyahu’s appearance drew criticism from some Republicans.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich denounced the move as a sign of “pro-Hamas” bias within the Democratic Party.
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Netanyahu arrived in the United States on Monday, just 48 hours after Biden announced he would not seek reelection.
“This will be an opportunity to thank him for what he did for Israel during the war and during his long and distinguished career in public service as a senator, vice president and president,” Netanyahu said of the outgoing president.
“Regardless of who the American people choose as their next president, Israel will remain our most indispensable and strongest ally in the Middle East,” he asserted.
