The White House on Friday pushed back against reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was upset by Vice President Kamala Harris’ comments on the war that he thought could jeopardize the hostage crisis and the ceasefire, with an aide telling Fox News “I don’t know what they’re talking about.”
The reported diplomatic escalation comes after Netanyahu met with President Biden and Harris in Washington on Thursday, followed by a meeting with former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago today. An Israeli official told Axios that Netanyahu was unhappy with Harris’ references to civilian deaths in Gaza and the “dire humanitarian situation on the ground.”
The official added that Netanyahu is angered that Harris has spoken about the hostages and a ceasefire as a way to end the war once and for all, while Israel wants to resume fighting after the agreement is implemented.
“If our adversaries perceive the US and Israel as aligned, a hostage deal becomes more likely and regional escalation becomes less likely,” an Israeli official told Axios. “Such clarity moves a deal further away and regional escalation closer. We hope that Harris’ public criticism of Israel will not give Hamas the impression that there is clarity between the US and Israel, making it more difficult to reach a deal as a result.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House complex in Washington, Thursday, July 25. (AP/Julia Nickinson)
An Israeli official also told Axios that “Harris’ comments after the meeting were far more critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu than what she said during the meeting.”
But a Harris aide told Fox News this morning, “We don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“President Biden and Vice President Harris, in their private meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu, conveyed the same message, something the vice president has also said publicly, that the time has come to get a ceasefire and hostage agreement done,” the aide said.
Activists cheer as they burn flags and an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest near the US Capitol in Washington, DC on July 24. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“Her public remarks were consistent with her previous statements on the conflict. She first emphasized her unwavering support for Israel and then, as always, expressed concern about civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” the aide added. “Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with Vice President Harris was serious and cooperative.”
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Harris said in her speech on Thursday that she had told Netanyahu that she would “always ensure that Israel can defend itself against Iran and its Iranian-backed militias, including Hamas and Hezbollah.”
“I also expressed to the prime minister my serious concerns about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the deaths of too many innocent civilians, and about the dire humanitarian situation there,” she continued.
Harris also said, “It’s time to end this war — in a way that Israel is safe, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and Palestinians are able to exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination.” “Thanks to President Joe Biden’s leadership, a ceasefire and hostage agreement is on the table,” she said, adding, “As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier, it’s time to get this deal done.”
Jon Ullyot, a former national security adviser to President Trump, told “Fox & Friends First” on Friday that Harris’ comments show she’s “taking over from Biden.”
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke after meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday. (AP/Julia Nickinson)
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“What’s happened with Kamala Harris is clear. Number one, she’s got a firm grip on the helm. There’s no question about it. She’s [on-camera] “The statement,” Ullyot said, “was that Bibi met with Biden, Biden met with Harris, but Harris was the only one who walked out. She was carrying the flag. She is definitely pushing her own policies, and she took over from Biden. But the policies are the same.”
Fox News’ Sarah Tobianski contributed to this report.
