From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Kamala Harris aide says VP will meet Netanyahu at White House, doesn’t announce time
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
WASHINGTON — US Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week at the White House, her office reiterates as the premier’s separate sit-down with US President Joe Biden is in jeopardy due to the latter’s bout with COVID-19.
Harris’s office and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said last week that the vice president would meet Netanyahu when he was in town. In a statement, Harris’s office is now offering more information regarding the meeting, but does not however announce a time for the sit-down.
The statement attributed to a Harris aide says the vice president will use the meeting with Netanyahu to convey “her view that it is time for the war to end in a way in which Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”
Netanyahu’s office announced Sunday that he had agreed to dispatch Israel’s hostage negotiating team to meet with Qatari and Egyptian mediators on Thursday, and the Harris aide says the vice president will raise the ongoing efforts to secure a hostage-ceasefire deal when meeting the premier.
“We anticipate she will underscore her commitment to ensure Israel can defend itself from threats from Iran and Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas. She will again condemn Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack on October 7, and horrific sexual violence. She will reiterate her deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the loss of innocent life,” the statement from the Harris aide says.
The vice president’s office goes on to confirm that she will not preside over Netanyahu’s Wednesday speech to a joint session of Congress, as she will be in Indianapolis for a previously scheduled event. “Her travel to Indianapolis should not be interpreted as a change in her position with regard to Israel.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Ben Cardin will preside over the address along with House Speaker Mike Johnson, the former’s office confirms to The Times of Israel. The New York Times reports that Sen. Patty Murray was originally asked to stand in for Harris, but declined.
The statement from Harris’s aide also makes a point to highlight the vice president’s pro-Israel record, amid a drumbeat of media reports that have presented her as a more critical foil to Biden.
“Throughout her career, the vice president has had an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. That remains true today,” the aide says.
“Since October 7, she has been deeply engaged with Israeli officials as part of our administration’s support for Israel as it works to eliminate the threat of Hamas,” the aide says, pointing to calls and meetings she has held with President Isaac Herzog and former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz along with over 20 calls between Biden and Netanyahu that she has also joined.
The aide points out that she has repeatedly condemned Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and expressed support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
She has also met with former hostages and hosted an event at the White House that highlighted Hamas’s use of sexual violence, the Harris aide adds.
