Vice President Kamala Harris has publicly pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “get this deal done” and agree to a ceasefire to end the war with Hamas in Gaza, but the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has not said whether she is also pressuring the terror group to make concessions at the negotiating table.
Harris’ comments urging Israel to reach a deal after a “frank and constructive” meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday were reportedly slammed in public by former President Donald Trump and privately by Netanyahu.
“I think her comments were disrespectful,” Republican presidential candidate Trump told reporters Friday afternoon alongside Netanyahu. “Her comments about Israel were not very nice. I actually don’t know if Jews can vote for her, that’s up to them, but in my opinion, she was certainly disrespectful to Israel.”
Harris said the current proposed agreement is in two phases: the first calls for a complete ceasefire “including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of the Gaza Strip,” while the second would see Israeli forces “completely” withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
Harris said there was “encouraging movement in discussions to reach an agreement on this deal,” but her office did not respond to multiple questions from Fox News Digital about whether she was applying the same pressure on Hamas leaders to accept the terms as she is applying to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 25, 2024. (Amos Ben Gershom (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu Agency)
“Israel has the right to defend itself and how it does so matters,” Harris told reporters on Thursday. “It’s time to end this war — and end it in a way that makes Israel safe, that brings an end to all hostages, that ends the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, and allows Palestinians to exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination.”
Harris condemned Hamas as a “brutal terrorist organization” that has “committed horrific acts,” but still urged “an agreement to reach an agreement that will allow for a ceasefire to end the war.”
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“As I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier, now is the time to get this deal done,” Harris said. “So to all of those who have been calling for a ceasefire, to all of those who long for peace, I hear you, I hear you.”
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at a campaign event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (Daniel Steinle/Bloomberg)
Harris also stressed her “serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza.”
An Israeli official told Axios that Netanyahu was unhappy with Harris’ references to civilian deaths in Gaza and her portrayal of the “dire humanitarian situation in the region,” adding that he was concerned the comments could actually hinder progress toward the ceasefire that Harris clearly wants.
But Harris’ aides rejected the idea.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in parliament on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” an aide told Fox News. “President Biden and Vice President Harris conveyed the same message in their private meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu: that it’s time to get a ceasefire and hostage agreement done.”
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The aide added: “This is also what the vice president said publicly. Her public comments are in line 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. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with VP Harris was serious and cooperative.”
