Vice President Kamala Harris said she and President Joe Biden ‘have been aligned and consistent’ on the Israeli war and that she would discuss a cease-fire when she meets with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s wartime Cabinet who is visiting Washington in defiance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Harris told reporters she and Gantz would discuss getting the hostage deal done, getting aid into the Gaza strip and ‘getting that six-week cease-fire.’
The vice president, over the weekend, called for ‘an immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza and for Hamas to accept the deal currently on the table. It was the most strident comments to date from a member of Biden’s administration.
But it also led to questions on whether Harris and Biden disagree on the Israel-Hamas war.
Vice President Kamala Harris (left) will meet with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz (right) at the White House
‘The president has been an extraordinary leader in getting us to this point that we have the six-week deal,’ Harris told reporters.
Harris, when asked if there was any day light between her and the president on the issue, said: ‘The president and I have been aligned and consistent from the very beginning.’
‘I will tell you that it is important that we all understand that we’re in a window of time right now where we can actually get a hostage deal done,’ she said. ‘We all want this conflict to end as soon as possible and how it does matters.’
Harris will sit down with the Israeli Defense Minister at the White House on Monday afternoon in a closed-door meeting.
Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu who frequently criticizes the prime minister, is sitting down with several senior Biden administration officials this week, including Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Council Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk and Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser.
President Biden is at Camp David preparing for his State of the Union address. He is facing mounting pressure from home and abroad over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
An official from Netanyahu’s party told the Associated Press that Gantz did not have approval from the prime minister for his meetings in Washington and that Netanyahu gave the Cabinet official a ‘tough talk’ on the matter.
Gantz, who polls show could be a formidable candidate for prime minister if a vote were held today, is viewed as a political moderate. If the heavy fighting subsides, Gantz will leave the government, which would increase pressure for early elections.
Netanyahu was reportedly furious at Gantz’s White House meeting.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (above) was reportedly furious at Gantz’s White House meeting
Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip
Over the weekend, Harris noted ‘a deal is on the table’ as she urged Hamas to accept it.
‘Let’s get the ceasefire. Let’s reunite the hostages with their families. And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza,’ Harris said.
Israel boycotted ceasefire talks in Cairo on Sunday after Hamas rejected its demand for a complete list naming hostages that are still alive, according to an Israeli newspaper.
Biden’s emphatic support for Israel has begun to dwindle in the face of an international outcry about Israel’s conduct.
White House spokesman John Kirby said the meeting with Harris was made at the request of Gantz.
‘A member of the war cabinet from Israel wants to come to the United States wants to talk to us about the progress of that war, giving us an opportunity to talk about the importance of getting humanitarian assistance, increased opportunity to talk about the importance of this hostage deal. We’re not going to turn away that sort of opportunity,’ he told reporters during a press briefing on Monday.
Biden was under immense pressure ahead of the Michigan primary on Tuesday to try and win back votes among progressives and young people who had become disillusioned over his support for Israel.
Michigan has the highest percentage and number of Arab Americans in the United States with more than 211,000 or 2.1 percent. Biden narrowly took the state from Trump in 2016.
While he managed to clinch the win, a sizeable portion of votes returned ‘uncommitted’ following a vigorous campaign by pro-Palestine activists, sparking fears for his chances in November.
Meanwhile, the U.S. began air dropping aid over the Gaza Strip on Saturday as the much of the population faces famine.
Aid has been difficult to get into the war-torn area.
Around 30,000 Palestinians are estimated to have died in retaliatory airstrikes since October 7, when Hamas first attacked Israel killing 1,139 and taking 240 hostages.
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